All 25 Republicans serving in Congress from Texas have signed a letter to the Biden Administration seeking a meeting with the president and demanding reimbursement for the state's border security costs.
Governor Greg Abbott says the state has spent $4 billion on "Operation Lone Star," saying the enforcement effort that includes the Texas National Guard, Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement has led to 343,000 apprehensions of people who crossed the border illegally.
Abbott says law enforcement has made 21,000 felony arrests and seized 356 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
"For the last two years, the State of Texas has been forced to take unprecedented steps to address this crisis," Republicans write in the letter.
The letter says 98 "known or suspected terrorists" were also caught at the border last year.
"Small localities along the border are suffering from the federal government's failures. These towns should not be forced to reallocate their already exhausted resources to secure their communities," Republicans write.
In bold and underlined type at the end of the letter, Republicans call for a meeting with President Joe Biden to "discuss the border crisis and the solutions proposed by members of the Texas Delegation to put an end to this crisis."
They also write they are urging the administration to reimburse Texas for its expenses during Operation Lone Star.
Earlier this month, the president made his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. The Biden Administration said it was also "surging additional resources to the border and the region, scaling up its anti-smuggling operations, and expanding coordination and support for border cities and non-governmental organizations."
The administration said the Department of Homeland Security would increase the use of expedited removal and propose new regulations to encourage people to seek legal pathways to enter the country.
The administration also said it would increase funding to cities along the border and strengthen coordination across different levels of government.
"Unlike some Republican officials playing political games and obstructing real solutions to fix our broken immigration system, President Biden has a plan and is taking action," the letter reads.
A complete list of the Biden Administration's proposals is available here.
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