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7h ago

Texas Legislature Cuts Funding for State Border Wall After 65 Miles Built

The $3.4 billion allocation now funds the Department of Public Safety’s Operation Lone Star after border crossings dropped over 90 percent.

A border wall section stands on July 14, 2021, near La Grulla, Texas, in Starr County.
A section of state-built border wall under construction near the banks of the Rio Grande south of Laredo in Zapata Co. on Sept. 23, 2024.
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Overview

  • The Texas Legislature has ended funding for the state’s border wall program in the 2025 budget, halting new construction projects.
  • Only 65 miles of the planned 805-mile barrier were completed at a cost of over $3 billion, achieving just 8 percent of the original goal.
  • Lawmakers redirected $3.4 billion to support Operation Lone Star, which tasks the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard with migrant apprehensions.
  • Border wall segments remain fragmented across six counties due to landowner resistance and a prohibition on using eminent domain.
  • Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show illegal crossings in Texas have fallen by more than 90 percent since late 2023, prompting the policy shift.