Greg Abbott’s border policies boost Trump in Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) border security policies are popular among Texas voters, including Texas Hispanics, and help explain former President Donald Trump’s double-digit lead over President Joe Biden in the Lone Star State.

For the past three years, the Abbott administration has repeatedly clashed with the Biden administration over immigration and border security. This conflict reached its peak in 2023 with, among other things, the passage of legislation authorizing a record $3.5 billion annual expenditure of Texas tax dollars on border security, as well as the passage of Senate Bill 4, which makes illegal immigration a state crime in Texas and empowers Texas law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants.