Abbott and other GOP governors vow to aid Trump deportations
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Gov. Greg Abbott, along with 25 other Republican governors, said in a statement this week that he'd use state law enforcement or the National Guard to help with President-elect Trump's mass deportation plans.
Why it matters: The federal government doesn't have enough resources to carry out Trump's goal of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants from the U.S. without cooperation from state and local police.
- And with 26 governors vowing to help, that gives Trump the promised cooperation of a slim majority of U.S. states — including those with some of the largest populations of undocumented people.
Reality check: Mass deportations would likely face several procedural roadblocks, and the estimated $150 billion to $350 billion price tag to execute them is steep.
Yes, but: The letter from the Republican Governors Association said, "We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal" and "we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities."
- The joint statement clarifies the "them" as "illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security" and "dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists."
Catch up quick: Abbott has overseen the busing of more than 100,000 migrants from the border, the deployment of razor wire and a barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande.
- More than 527,600 people have been apprehended and hundreds of millions of doses of fentanyl have been seized as part of Operation Lone Star, the border security effort involving the Texas National Guard and the Department of Public Safety that Abbott launched in 2021.
- The operation has cost at least $11 billion.
- Last month, the Texas General Land Office offered Trump a 1,400-acre ranch near the border for detention centers.
What they're saying: "Our soldiers deployed at the southern border continue to hold the line," Abbott posted this week on X.
The other side: National Guard troops have complained the deployments have cut into their business, their education and their welfare, per a Military Times and Texas Tribune investigation.
The bottom line: Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan said earlier this month the Texas approach "is the model we can take across the country."