Abbott explains why he agreed to expand the Texas National Guard's role on immigration
FRISCO — For the first time, Texas National Guard members will have the authority to arrest migrants crossing into the state illegally. Only the federal government has had that power until now.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott discussed this and other issues in an interview Monday with CBS News Texas, the only TV station in the state to speak with him after his State of the State address.
Abbott said he jumped at the opportunity to make this a reality.
"The Trump administration reached out to see if we'd be interested in doing that. I immediately said 'yes,'" Abbott said. "For one, the National Guard has been down on the border for years now under the Biden administration. But they did not have the full authority that federal government immigration officers had. Now they do because of this agreement.
Abbot said the Texas National Guard is needed when it comes to immigration because Mr. Trump inherited a federal government that's short-handed for ICE and Border Patrol agents, and other people who are in the immigration control process.
"We can make sure that they immediately, overnight, have additional personnel who can help enforce immigration laws, and that's why I wanted to do it," Abbott said.
Abbott said he is optimistic about his recent request to Congress to pay back Texas the $11.1 billion it spent to secure the border.
"Since I've asked for it, I've had meaningful phone calls," Abbott said. "I met with Speaker Johnson in his office. I've also had many calls with the Texas delegation as well as some other members of Congress. To make sure that it's teed up appropriately, I'll be going to Washington, D.C., next week to further work on that effort. The response has been strong. One hundred percent of the people say Texas deserves it. They want to support it.
"And listen, there are certain things that are natural ongoing benefits to the United States. We built the border wall that Trump built. That's money, that is a free wall put up for the United States of America for which they should reimburse the state of Texas. We've built other border barriers that deny illegal entry. There are fixtures that will last a long time, including the buoys that we put into the river."
The governor said Trump supports this request along with other key Republicans who control committees on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, has filed a bill that would reimburse states like Texas that spent tax dollars to secure the border. His fellow Republican Rep. Jake Ellzey of Waxahachie is a co-sponsor of the legislation. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, recently told CBS News Texas that she needs to review the language of the bill before deciding whether to support it.
Watch Eye on Politics on CBS News Texas at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on air and streaming.