Texas Governor's Office
Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during Thursday's press conference in Del Rio.
During a press conference in Del Rio, the Republican governor said Texas will construct a wall along its border with Mexico, a pricy and largely unfinished centerpiece of former President Donald Trump's two White House campaigns.
Abbott offered no information on the project's scope, cost or timeline. Such details will come next week, he explained.
The announcement appears to be another move by Abbott to force a showdown with the Biden administration, which in January issued an order halting construction of Trump's wall.
Abbott has repeatedly blamed the new administration for a surge in border crossings and made flimsy accusations that children were being abused at a temporary shelter the feds set up in San Antonio to house migrant children.
During Thursday's presser, the governor also pledged to ramp up arrests of border crossers and talked up the state's $1 billion allocation for border security in its recently passed budget.
"They don't want to come to across the state of Texas anymore because it's not what they were expecting," Abbott said. "It's not the red carpet that the federal administration rolled out to them."
In a statement, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) it may file a legal injunction against Abbott. The organization accused the governor of using asylum seekers as "political piñatas" as he readies a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
“Governor Abbott stated that he intends to use Texas state budget dollars, not for education, improving our electric grid or for Texas roads and highways," LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said. "Instead, he says he will continue to build a wall and other barriers along the border with Mexico. This is a huge waste of taxpayer money and very likely illegal."
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