Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) expressed enthusiasm for the shift in the United States prioritizing its border security, adding that the state of Texas is proud to “partner” with President Donald Trump’s effort on this.
Abbott, appearing on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, detailed how the nation’s previous leadership under former President Joe Biden contrasts sharply with the “sudden and swift” change that Trump enacted on his first day in office, which has seen illegal border crossings drop “dramatically.” The governor also cited how Texas is working with Trump’s administration, stating that the state deployed more buoys into the Rio Grande “on the hour” that Trump took office.
“The change, Maria, is this: we suddenly now have a commander in chief who cares about national security, who cares about securing the border, who’s going to enforce the law, and, importantly, he has a governor and a state in Texas that will be a partner with the Trump administration,” Abbott stated. “We will assist in the arrest, the detention, and the deportation of people coming across the border illegally.”
The Texas governor noted how hundreds of illegal immigrants, and even almost a thousand, are being deported from the U.S. “on a daily basis” to their home countries, with the Trump administration “demanding compliance” from other countries to take back individuals who illegally crossed the U.S. border.
Columbia President Gustavo Petro had sought to resist planes returning illegal immigrants from the U.S., prompting Trump to threaten the country with 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. as well as a travel ban on Colombian government officials. Petro has since backed down, and has also sent his presidential plane to assist with the deportations.
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Abbott has also stressed a need for Trump to “go after” gangs of illegal immigrants, like the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and “put them out of business,” which he equated to the arrest of these gangs.
On Thursday, Abbott sent letters to top government officials requesting reimbursement for more than $11 billion Texas spent on Operation Lone Star, the border security initiative the state launched in 2021 after it accused former Biden of “refusing to enforce federal immigration law and pursuing reckless open-border policies.” The governor often feuded with the Biden administration over the state’s position on border security, which also involved multiple legal battles.