When Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Texas would build its own border wall last week, he encouraged individuals to make donations for the project.
Last week, Governor Abbott announced Texas would make a $250 million "down payment" and hire contractors a project manager.
"While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows," Abbott said in a statement. "Texas is responding with the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen."
Abbott also signed a letter to President Joe Biden "demanding" the federal government return any private property previously taken to build a border wall.
"Texas stands ready to build the wall in Texas, and we have begun the process of hiring a manager to oversee that project. We will look first at using state property and donated private property. We will also visit with Texans whose land was taken by the federal government to determine if they will allow the State of Texas to build a wall on their land," he wrote.
A week after an option to make individual donations was added to the state's website for border wall construction, Abbott says the effort has raised $397,000.
"Thank you to those who have contributed to our ongoing effort to secure the border," Abbott tweeted Wednesday. "Completing the wall means making Texas & America safer. In the Biden Administration's absence, Texas will get the job done."
Abbott has told the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager, but he has not estimated how much the entire wall might cost or how long it would be.
Former President Donald Trump says he has accepted an invitation to tour the border with Abbott next Wednesday.
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