As thousands of people pour through the southern border into Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, all members of Texas’ Democratic congressional delegation voted to block federal funds from assisting Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security effort, Operation Lone Star.
In the last few days before the end of the fiscal year, which ends Saturday, Sept. 30, and ahead of a looming federal government shutdown, members of Congress over the past few days have debated and voted on various appropriations bills. Rather than support Abbott’s border security efforts, Texas’ Democratic congressional delegation supported an amendment to oppose any federal money going to help Texas or reimburse Texas for roughly $10 billion the state legislature allocated to fund OLS over the last two legislative sessions.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from San Antonio, filed an amendment to HR 4367 “to prohibit the use of federal funds to support Operation Lone Star.” Prior to voting on the amendment, members debated, expressing extreme opposing views.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, whose district stretches from Austin to San Antonio, said, “we must stop the dangerous, expensive, corrupt and ineffective stunts at the border and instead chart a new path for a safe, orderly and humane immigration system.” Cesar said Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star must end” and the amendment must pass “to ensure that federal funding does not go to this failed program. Every day, Gov. Abbott violates the rights of asylum seekers and violates the rights of our border communities all to score political points against President [Joe] Biden.”
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