Texas ends new funding for border wall construction

Texas has halted new funding for construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, a major policy shift after four years of investment in one of Governor Greg Abbott’s flagship immigration initiatives.

The change, reflected in the state’s newly approved budget, ends additional allocations for the wall, which Abbott once touted as a multibillion-dollar project. Only 104 kilometres (65 miles) of the barrier have been built so far — a small portion of Texas’s 1,931 kilometres (1,200-mile) border with Mexico.

Abbott’s office said the decision was influenced by what it described as stronger federal enforcement under President Donald Trump’s current administration.

“Thanks to President Trump’s bold leadership, the federal government is finally fulfilling its obligation to secure the southern border and deport criminal illegal immigrants,” said Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris.

“Because of these renewed federal assets in Texas, our state can now adjust aspects of state-funded border security efforts,” Abbott added.

The Texas Tribune first reported the budget shift.

The wall’s construction has been hampered by slow progress, complicated land acquisition, and opposition from landowners and environmental groups. Critics say the project is ineffective and politically driven.

“There was no need for it in the first place,” said Scott Nicol of Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a conservation organization in the Rio Grande Valley. “The only thing that’s changed is the political dynamic.”

Texas lawmakers have now approved about $3.4 billion for border security over the next two years, but this funding is earmarked for personnel and operations — specifically the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard — under Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s immigration enforcement initiative launched in 2021.

That amount is down from the $6.5 billion allocated in the previous two-year budget cycle.

Although new funds have ceased, the Texas Facilities Commission — the agency managing wall construction — still has $2.5 billion in previously approved funding. This will be used to build up to 136 more kilometres (85 more miles) of the wall by 2026.

Republican Senator Joan Huffman, the Senate’s lead budget writer, said the remaining funds “will set the federal government up for success.”

Local activists and environmental advocates continue to oppose the wall.

“This wall should have never been built, it’s useless,” said Bekah Hinojosa of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network. “It divides our community.”

The slowdown comes as unauthorized border crossings have declined significantly in 2025, altering the perceived urgency that once surrounded the wall’s construction.

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