McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a staunchly conservative Republican who has made border security a top priority, on Wednesday secured the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council in his bid for reelection.

The endorsement by the top union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents came just two weeks after the organization also endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott for re-election.

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd on Wednesday said Patrick “has worked tirelessly to secure the border and keep Texas safe.”

In a statement, Judd, who is based in the Rio Grande Valley, credited Patrick with providing more border security funding “than any lieutenant governor in history.”

Judd cited $4 billion in border security funds appropriated by the entire Texas Legislature this past legislative session, and said Patrick “played an integral role in starting the construction of the border wall in Texas.”

In December, Texas began building a 30-foot-tall metal border wall using state funds outside the small town of La Grulla in rural Starr County.

Abbott toured the wall on Dec. 18, which was 800feet long at that time. However, Patrick was not on that trip. Abbott was accompanied by Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who is running for Texas attorney general.

Judd said that Patrick “has remained a strong supporter of law enforcement, and he has continued to give them the tools they need to help assist our members to protect Texas and America to the very best of their ability. In a time when states are being overrun with crime, Lt. Governor Patrick has worked to ensure Texas is one of the safest states in the U.S. for our children and our families.”

“I am proud to have the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council. Our Border Patrol agents are working endlessly day and night to secure a border that has been abandoned by the Biden administration. A weak border puts our communities at risk,” Patrick said in a statement.

The endorsement came the same day that Attorney General Ken Paxton, who also is running for re-election, released what he calls a “guidance packet” listing court rulings and national immigration policies to help local law enforcement, border property owners and “concerned Texans” during what he calls “a border crisis.”

“Texas bears the brunt of it. Worse, a combination of federal inaction and an intentional, illegal unwinding of successful Trump-era immigration measures have left local law enforcement, private property owners, and citizens figuring out how to clean up the mess,” Paxton wrote in an introductory letter with the six-page package sent Wednesday.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@borderreport.com.