| 1 | 1 | | By: Dyson H.R. No. 53 |
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| 6 | 6 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Due to the lack of action by the federal government, |
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| 8 | 8 | | the State of Texas has been forced to continually appropriate funds |
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| 9 | 9 | | to secure the southern border of the United States; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, In March 2021, Governor Greg Abbott launched |
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| 11 | 11 | | Operation Lone Star to address record levels of migrant crossings |
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| 12 | 12 | | and drug trafficking at the southern border; over the last three |
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| 13 | 13 | | years, Texas has invested approximately $11 billion into the |
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| 14 | 14 | | initiative; these funds have supported a variety of efforts, such |
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| 15 | 15 | | as implementing surveillance technologies, providing resources to |
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| 16 | 16 | | local law enforcement agencies, conducting legal and |
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| 17 | 17 | | administrative activities, and managing the public health and |
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| 18 | 18 | | humanitarian aspects of migration; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, As part of Operation Lone Star, members of the Texas |
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| 20 | 20 | | National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety have been |
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| 21 | 21 | | deployed to the region to help detect and repel illegal crossings, |
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| 22 | 22 | | arrest human smugglers and cartel gang members, and stop the flow of |
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| 23 | 23 | | deadly drugs such as fentanyl into the United States; the program |
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| 24 | 24 | | has led to more than 516,300 apprehensions of illegal immigrants |
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| 25 | 25 | | and over 45,300 arrests; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Although it is the duty of the federal government to |
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| 27 | 27 | | secure the nation's borders, the State of Texas has expended |
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| 28 | 28 | | significant resources to help maintain safety and security across |
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| 29 | 29 | | the United States, and Congress should take responsibility for its |
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| 30 | 30 | | failure to address the crisis at the southern border; now, |
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| 31 | 31 | | therefore, be it |
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| 32 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 33 | 33 | | Legislature hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United |
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| 34 | 34 | | States to reimburse the State of Texas in the amount of $11 billion |
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| 35 | 35 | | for border security costs incurred under Operation Lone Star; and, |
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| 36 | 36 | | be it further |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the Texas House of |
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| 38 | 38 | | Representatives forward official copies of this resolution to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and |
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| 40 | 40 | | the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States |
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| 41 | 41 | | Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress |
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| 42 | 42 | | with the request that this resolution be officially entered in the |
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| 43 | 43 | | Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United |
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| 44 | 44 | | States of America. |
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