Texas border mission requests $531M to operate past May 1

The Texas National Guard’s leader said on Tuesday that the border mission would require over $500 million in funding if officials intend it to continue beyond this month.

“We’re currently funded through 1 May, and so we will need additional $531 million to continue through the end of the state fiscal year,” Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer told the state Senate Border Security Committee.

The ask comes as part of Gov. Greg Abbott (R)’s Operation Lone Star, a push to crack down on illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border that includes members of the National Guard as well as troopers from Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas State Guard.

The plan costs more than $2 billion per year, far more than the $412 million that was initially budgeted for the program, according to The Texas Tribune.

But the hefty cost drew criticism on Tuesday from Democratic state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a member of the committee. 

“I think, quite frankly, you can do the same job, border security, with a lot less troops,” Hinojosa said. “I really don’t understand the number of having to use 10,000 National Guard troops for border security.”

“We’re looking at all these things to see if we can drive that number down as we move into this last phase of the fiscal year, and possibly into the next fiscal year,” Suelzer responded, noting that troops and fencing around private properties near the border were driving costs up.

The Biden administration recently decided to revoke a restriction known as Title 42, which lets the U.S. turn away migrants to prevent “the introduction of communicable diseases.” Now, border issues will take center stage in the midterm elections as Republicans use the issue to attack Democrats.