AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Austin Thursday to speak with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

What You Need To Know

  • According to a news release from Abbott’s office, the governor urged Johnson to pass border security legislation to help curb the number of migrants crossing the border illegally

  • Abbott also spoke to Johnson about his multibillion-dollar border security initiative Operation Lone Star, which has deployed thousands of state National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the border

  • During the meeting, Abbott asked Johnson “to support the state’s ongoing fight against President Biden’s attacks on Texas’ historic border mission,” the release from the governor’s office said

  • With all of the legal battles between the Justice Department and state of Texas working their way through the court system, Johnson said his caucus stands behind Abbott and Texas

According to a news release from Abbott’s office, the governor urged Johnson to pass border security legislation to help curb the number of migrants crossing the border illegally. 

Earlier this year, a bipartisan border deal was struck down after four months of negotiations between a group of Senate Republicans and the White House. The rejected deal combined Ukraine aid and border security, and it only received four Republican votes.

Republicans who voted against the bill argued that it was too weak on border policy, and the vote came after former President Donald Trump announced his opposition.

Abbott also spoke to Johnson about his multibillion-dollar border security initiative Operation Lone Star, which has deployed thousands of state National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to the border. Multiple parts of the operation, including the addition of razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande and the installation of a floating barrier in the river, are being challenged by the federal government in court. 

During the meeting, Abbott asked Johnson “to support the state’s ongoing fight against President Biden’s attacks on Texas’ historic border mission,” the release from the governor’s office said. 

This meeting came on the heels of another legal battle between the state and federal government over the legality of Texas’ Senate Bill 4. 

SB 4, which was signed into law by Abbott in December, allows state and local law enforcement officers across Texas to arrest migrants who entered the state illegally. The Justice Department and multiple civil rights groups sued the state, and in February, a U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction on the law. Texas appealed the injunction all the way up to the Supreme Court, and it cleared the way for the law to take effect for a few hours before a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel put it on hold, again. 

With all of the legal battles between the Justice Department and state of Texas working their way through the court system, Johnson said his caucus stands behind Abbott and Texas.