Gov. Greg Abbott announced the appointment of Mike Banks, a veteran Border Patrol agent, as Texas’ “border czar” on Monday. Banks will use his experience to implement policies that lessen illegal immigration and maintain the safety of our community. In addition, banks will collaborate with the Texas Facilities Commission, state troopers, and the Texas National Guard to hasten the construction of the border wall in Texas.
Preventing Illegal Immigration
The Texas Facilities Commission, the organization in control of the project since Abbott stated the state would erect a wall in June 2021, has given six contracts totaling $841 million to build and maintain 37 miles of border fencing in the counties of Cameron, Starr, Val Verde, Webb, and Zapata.
Abbott stated at the San Benito news conference on Monday that stopping illegal immigration in Texas requires a leader responsible for responding to the president’s immigration policies. The state is now building a border wall, which Abbott also highlighted. According to his office’s calculations, the state is spending $25 million per mile to build the wall, a source posted.
According to Abbott, Banks served the Border Patrol for over 20 years and four presidents, including as the agent in charge of the McAllen and Weslaco Border Patrol stations. He made no particular mention of Banks’ responsibilities or his upcoming compensation.
The Border Construction
The second section of the state-funded border wall in South Texas, which comprises a 1.5-mile-long barrier in the city of Los Indios in Cameron County, has begun construction, according to an announcement made by Governor Greg Abbott on January 30. The first third of a mile has been covered, according to the lmtonline.com report.
Texas has constructed 1.7 miles of a border wall outside the hamlet of La Grulla in Starr County using 30-foot-tall steel bollards. Steel bollards were also included in Trump’s design, and many of them were abandoned after the Biden administration halted work. They will now be applied to the Texas wall, similar to the federal one.
