Kaylee Greenlee
Texas Republicans on Thursday proposed sending an additional 18,000 National Guard troops to the border and doubling security spending.
The additional spending would cover 1,800 additional National Guard troops, more boats deployed in the Rio Grande River and costs associated with prosecuting and jailing migrants arrested on state offenses including trespassing and trafficking, according to an analysis by The Dallas Morning News.
“Texas is going to start arresting everybody coming across the border — not just arresting them, but because this is now going to be aggravated trespass, they’re going to be spending half a year in jail, if not a year in jail,” Abbott told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on June 2.
Texas Republican Rep. Greg Bonnen filed the $1.77 billion appropriations bill on Thursday, allocating around $1.02 billion toward “funding for border security operations through the making of border security grants.”
The grants could pay for Abbott’s state-funded border wall that drew around $250 million from the state’s prison system budget in June, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Lawmakers previously approved $1.05 billion for border security projects across the state over the next two years.
Bonnen filed the bill shortly after the Texas House reached quorum to conduct state business, The Dallas Morning News reported. Abbott listed “border security” as one of the 17 things lawmakers should focus on during the second summer special session.
The proposed spending package reportedly includes $750 million for Abbott’s border wall, $301 million for the National Guard, and $163 million for the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
Abbott’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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