When I first got to Austin, Republicans in the Texas Legislature were just beginning to realize the importance of ramping up border security efforts. Since taking office and serving on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, I have overseen a 16-fold increase in border security funding, from $800 million to over $13 billion.  This includes apprehension and prosecution to fight back against the criminal elements the Biden Administration has failed to address.

In the most recent special session, we added $1.5 billion for border wall and barrier construction. This brings the total to more than $3 billion to construct more than 100 miles of border wall, concertina wire, buoys, and more to stop illegal crossings. These are major victories for Texas, but it is only a portion of the picture. Since 2017, I have fought to take Texas beyond border security.

One of the first major pieces of legislation I helped pass as your state representative was SB 4, which banned Sanctuary Cities for illegal immigrants in Texas and gave law enforcement more authority to detain individuals who have come into the country illegally. Since then, SB 4 has become a landmark example of Texas putting smart policy over the failed ideas that took hold in liberal states. 

Today, we see the fallout from these sanctuary cities, including the New York mayor going on a Central American tour to tell migrants to stop coming to America. And now, the Biden Administration has finally admitted that more border wall is necessary. 

This goes beyond border policy, however.  It’s also about morality and protecting innocent victims from the heinous crimes that stem from the lawlessness that an open border welcomes.  Operation Lone Star has seized tens of millions of dollars from the cartels, enough fentanyl to kill every American, and saved hundreds of individuals from human trafficking operations.

Here are some more solid policy victories I can point to that go beyond the empty soundbites that most political candidates offer.  These are meaningful measures that are making a difference in the ongoing battle to make our communities safe and secure:

Beyond these specific border-related laws, I have fought for and passed other laws to increase penalties for drug trafficking, including steps to target dealers trafficking Fentanyl. With the increase in these dangerous drugs, I have also delivered resources to protect law enforcement when working on these drug interdiction cases.

I hope this provides a bigger picture for you to see the work being done to strengthen border security. Each session, I have re-committed myself to stepping up my efforts, and I will continue to back our law enforcement and provide resources on the border and across the state to keep Texans safe.