Texas Authorizes $250Mln Down Payment To Begin Building New Border Wall - Governor

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2021) Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state officials have authorized $250 million to be used to begin building additional border along the border with Mexico as part of a mission to stem illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

"The letter we are about to sign provides $250 million to be allocated as a down payment to begin the border wall," Abbott said during a press conference on Wednesday. "It's more than enough to hire the project manager, the contractors, and to begin building the wall."

Abbott also asked the US public to donate money to help fund the border wall project.

Moreover, Abbott signed a letter demanding the immediate return of any land taken by the Federal government to build the border wall. However, once the land is returned, the state will talk to those property owners about the possibility of using their land to build the wall, Abbott's office said in a separate statement.

President Joe Biden halted all border wall construction that he inherited from the Trump administration. Land seized from Texas property owners occurred under the Trump administration as part of his campaign promise to build more border wall on the southern border.

US Customs and Border Protection data revealed this month that the number of asylum-seeking migrants apprehended along the southern border with Mexico in May set another record, reaching a new 21-year monthly high of 180,034.

A total of 929,868 migrants have been apprehended illegally crossing the US-Mexico since October, putting the Biden administration on pace to break the previous annual record of 977,509 set in 2019.