BROOKS COUNTY, Texas (RFD-TV) — Texas is set to receive a multi-billion-dollar federal reimbursement for costs tied to border security efforts.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security approved the reimbursement for Operation Lone Star, which used Texas National Guard soldiers and the Department of Public Safety to address illegal crossings and drug trafficking.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says the reimbursement totals $7.5 billion. However, there is no indication that the money will go to rural communities or ranchers, some of which faced significant financial strain during the border crisis.
Brooks County rancher Dr. Mike Vickers says the influx of migrants put a major strain on his county’s limited resources.
“It was just overwhelming, our resources, to have the autopsies done, have the people buried. It’s a huge drain on our resources here in this county. Under Biden and Obama, for eight years, we had probably over 1,000 dead bodies show up, as many as 129 in one year.”
Vickers says authorities have a number of tools at their disposal along the border, including drones and dogs.
