Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Thursday that his Public Safety Office is providing an additional $30 million in Operation Lone Star grant funding for Texas cities and counties to enhance border security operations, including funding to help deter and interdict criminal activity related to the border crisis.
“While the Biden Administration has abandoned border communities, the State of Texas will support them and help them respond to the disaster that President Biden has caused on the border,” Abbott stated in the press release. “Operation Lone Star grant funding has played an integral role in our mission to keep Texans safe and support local communities. I encourage local governments to apply for these funds as we work together to prevent illegal immigration and the smuggling of people, illegal weapons, and deadly drugs like fentanyl from Mexico into Texas.”
Additional grant funding being made available includes:
>> $14 million for border-adjacent counties — available starting Sept. 1.
>> $16 million for any county or city — available now, grant applications open on July 11.
Governor Abbott launched the OLS Grant Program in September 2021 with an initial $100 million made available to strengthen Texas’ response to the border crisis. All eligible requests for this initial funding have been fulfilled, totaling $58 million in awards so far with $42 million still available.
The Governor’s PSO is responsible for administering the OLS Grant Program. Local units of government that are interested in learning more about this program can view the funding announcement here. Applicants can also contact PSO via [email protected] or at 512-463-1919.
Governor Abbott has taken significant action to secure the border in the wake of the federal government’s inaction. Those actions include:
>> Securing $4 billion in funding for Texas’ border security efforts.
>> Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.
>> Arresting and jailing illegal migrants trespassing or committing other state crimes in Texas.
>> Allocating resources that include acquiring 1,700 unused steel panels to build the border wall in Texas.
>> Signing a law to make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas.
>> Signing 15 laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas.
>> Signing a law enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl.
>> Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis.
>> Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants.
>> Taking aggressive action to secure the border as President Biden ends Title 42 expulsions, including busing migrants to Washington, D.C.
>> Signing memoranda of understanding between the State of Texas and the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to enhance border security measures that will prevent illegal immigration from Mexico to Texas.
>> Activating the Joint Border Security Operations Center (JBSOC) and directing the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department, and Texas Division of Emergency Management to coordinate Texas’ response to secure the border.
>> Creating DPS strike teams and establishing new vehicle inspection checkpoints targeting semi-trucks.
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