In the far reaches of Terrell County, Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland has firsthand experience with the lifeline that Texas’ multibillion-dollar border security operation provided. With money flowing from Operation Lone Star — Governor Greg Abbott’s signature crackdown on unauthorized immigration — Cleveland was able to hire two full-time deputies, three part-timers, and equip his force with new vehicles and gear.
“Kept us alive,” Cleveland said, describing how the funding buffered his small department during record surges of border crossings under the Biden administration.
Yet even as Cleveland expresses hopes of hiring more deputies, he shares a growing concern: why is Texas continuing to pour billions into border security as migrant encounters drop and federal immigration enforcement ramps up once again, especially with former President Donald Trump pledging mass deportations should he return to office?
“With President Trump being in the White House, I would foresee the federal government spending more money. The state Legislature surely shouldn’t have to spend that much more money,” Cleveland said. “Why are we asking for that?”
It’s a question that resonates well beyond Terrell County. In Austin, as lawmakers hammer out Texas’ two-year spending plan, $6.5 billion in new border security funding has sailed through both legislative chambers with minimal debate — despite significant signs that the landscape at the border is shifting.
If finalized, this latest appropriation would push Texas’ total spending on border security to nearly $18 billion since 2021, an amount five times greater than what the state invested over the previous 14 years combined.
The political momentum to continue spending has remained strong, even as the number of migrant arrests at the southern border declines and the Biden administration, under new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, claims near-complete “operational control” over major entry points.
Critics argue that the spending spree highlights a deeper trend: immigration and border politics often run independently of real-time needs on the ground.
“It’s hard to make the argument that the politics around immigration and the border have ever been especially preoccupied with good governance,” said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at UT Austin.
Polling shows that a significant portion of the Texas electorate — particularly Republican voters — still believe the state isn’t spending enough on border security, even as evidence mounts that current allocations far outstrip what may be necessary.
Governor Abbott continues to frame Operation Lone Star as an essential bulwark until the state achieves “full operational control” — a goal federal officials argue has already been largely achieved. Nonetheless, Abbott’s administration has expressed willingness to revisit funding levels in coordination with Trump’s immigration plans, should he return to office.
Yet few signs suggest that Texas is ready to meaningfully scale back its massive border commitment. During a recent budget debate, Democratic lawmakers attempted — unsuccessfully — to reallocate border funds toward pressing needs like teacher pay raises. Republicans held firm, unwilling to deviate from the established political narrative of defending the border at all costs.
State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, after visiting Operation Lone Star sites, questioned whether the billions currently earmarked for border enforcement were being effectively or efficiently spent. She warned that some immigration proposals — such as restrictions on bail for undocumented individuals — could push hidden costs onto local governments, further burdening taxpayers.
“We are shifting the cost of Trump’s goal onto state and local taxes,” Eckhardt said.
Even within conservative circles, some voices are calling for greater accountability. Selene Rodriguez, a border and immigration expert at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, supports strong border security but urges greater transparency around the enormous expenditures and troop deployments.
“If you’re going to do it, do it correctly. Line the pockets appropriately, and if you don’t need 5,000 Guardsmen at the border maybe don’t have them there,” Rodriguez said.
Despite proposals to audit Operation Lone Star, legislative oversight remains elusive. Two bills calling for independent audits have been introduced but have yet to even receive a hearing.
As Texas marches forward with its historically large investment in state-led immigration enforcement, a fundamental tension persists: how much of this is truly about security — and how much is about politics?