An effort to assist Texas with that state’s efforts securing its southern border with Mexico is back on with the Wyoming Legislature.
On Monday, the Wyoming Senate approved on a 20-10 vote a budget amendment of $2 million to assist Texas with these efforts.
State Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, said the money could be spent however the governor sees fit in supplying appropriate resources to Texas.
Border Crisis
During a House Homeland Security Committee meeting last November, the director of the FBI said that the number of illegal immigrants evading Border Patrol agents and escaping into the U.S. is a source of "great concern" for the agency and “consuming” FBI field offices.
Some former FBI officials also have speculated that there are risks that those illegally entering the country are doing so as a form of “soft invasion” to create malicious harm.
Hicks drew a comparison between the ongoing border situation and the American Revolution and mentioned the influx of fentanyl that has crossed the southern border and into the U.S. in recent years.
“The current estimate of cost to local, state and federal government now tops $90 billion to deal with this crisis, and yet our federal government does nothing,” Hicks said. “It’s time to stand with this country and stand with Texas.”
Hicks brought similar legislation last year to help Texas, Arizona and Florida with their efforts to build a border wall and transport migrants to other places, but it was defeated in the Senate.
Gordon was one of 25 Republican governors in January to sign a letter last month supporting Texas Gov. Mark Abbott’s efforts to secure the border. He also spent $86,434 out of his office’s budget in 2023 to deploy eight Wyoming law enforcement officers to provide support along the southern border.
Some who spoke against the amendment questioned why Gordon couldn’t take action like this again without dedicating funding. Hicks said the $2 million would serve the same purpose as a dedicated allotment.
“It’s pretty important symbolism when you stand up with this country and stand up with those defending this country,” he said. “That border is the border of the United States of America. We have an obligation as one of 50 states to help protect that border.”
Wyoming Problem?
Although Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, and Senate President Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, agree with Hicks that the situation at the southern border is dire, they still opposed the amendment.
Driskill said he’d rather see Wyoming spend the $2 million to focus on its own law enforcement resources.
“The state of Wyoming money is much better spent on the state of Wyoming problems,” he said. “Let’s put our dollars where they do the most work — inside our state protecting our people.”
Nethercott mentioned how Texas recently passed a budget of $321.3 billion, and that she’d prefer to solve Wyoming-focused problems like increasing teacher pensions. She believes keeping this money local will be far more impactful.
“That $2 million to Texas’ $312 (billion) budget is insignificant,” she said. “But what it means to the retired teacher in my district who’s trying to understand how she can pay for the increase to her homeowner’s insurance, that’s where that $2 million needs to go.”
The amendment was passed to the budget on its second reading in the Senate. It will get its final reading in the Senate on Wednesday before moving over to the House for consideration.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
