Texas Governor Greg Abbott delivered remarks at the National Border Patrol Council’s 2026 Convention dinner, applauding what he described as historic border enforcement actions coordinated by Texas and the federal government under the Trump Administration.
Abbott’s appearance before the NBPC — the labor union representing approximately 18,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents — came as Texas state agencies continue coordinated operations with federal law enforcement along the southern border, according to the Office of the Texas Governor.
“Today, we have a President who actually is enforcing the federal laws of the United States. We finally have a Border Patrol who is unleashed to actually do its job,” Abbott said at the convention dinner. “Working with federal counterparts, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard are investigating, arresting, and removing anyone here illegally. The State of Texas is working with you better than ever before. It is no coincidence that we now have the most secure border in history.”
Abbott thanked Border Patrol agents for what he called their unwavering resolve in securing the southern border, seizing narcotics, and protecting Texas residents, according to the governor’s office. Abbott also stated that collaboration between local, state, and federal law enforcement has made communities safer from cartel members and human smugglers.
NBPC President Paul Perez attended the event alongside other border patrol officials, according to the governor’s office. The NBPC has previously endorsed both the Trump Administration’s border enforcement policies and Texas’s state-level border security operations, including Operation Lone Star, which the Texas Department of Public Safety has administered since 2021.
The Texas Department of Public Safety reported in its most recent operational data that DPS and Texas National Guard personnel have made tens of thousands of criminal arrests and apprehensions along the Texas-Mexico border since the launch of state border security operations. The Texas Tribune has reported that the state has allocated more than $11 billion toward border security efforts since 2021, making it one of the largest state-funded border initiatives in U.S. history.
Abbott praised the Trump Administration specifically for what he described as ending waves of mass illegal immigration that surged under previous Democratic leadership, according to the governor’s office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data has shown a decline in southwest border encounters in the months following the January 2025 change in federal administration.
Texas has maintained a parallel state enforcement structure alongside federal border operations since 2021, when Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in response to what state officials described at the time as insufficient federal action on illegal crossings and drug trafficking. The operation has deployed Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers to the border on a continuous basis.
The next scheduled reporting period for Texas border security operational data is expected through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s quarterly legislative briefings, where DPS officials will present updated arrest, seizure, and deployment figures to state lawmakers.