Texas to Congress: Help Us Pay for Securing Border

The Texas Senate adopted a measure Tuesday asking the federal government to help the state pay for covering the cost of securing its border with Mexico, the Texas Tribune reported Wednesday.

“What we’re trying to do with this is wake up Congress,” said state Sen. Tommy Williams, a Republican from The Woodlands and author of the resolution. 

The resolution is a mostly symbolic act that doesn't carry the weight of a law. However, it sends a message to Congress and President Barack Obama asking for money so that Texas can enforce existing immigration laws. It’s basically demanding that Washington act on curbing illegal immigration.
The measure calls for an analysis of how much it costs to enforce all immigration laws in the state.

“The inability of Washington to develop some form of comprehensive immigration reform that might address this border security problem puts an unfair and unreasonable burden on the entire state,” the resolution says.