Since 2021, more than 115 Texas cities and counties have staked a claim to $177 million in grant funds under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
Much of that money has reimbursed cities and counties for hiring police officers, sheriff’s deputies and support personnel and other border enforcement costs.
But millions of dollars have been spent on purchases that appear only distantly related to securing the border — items such as office furniture, Zoom rooms and parking lot paving — and to counties hundreds of miles away from the border, an investigation by the San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle found.
FULL INVESTIGATION: Abbott's Operation Lone Star was a bonanza for Texas cities
We’ve published all of the grants below, exactly as they appear in state records, so you can explore them for yourself. We’ve grouped them into general categories so you can filter them easily.
Click on the arrows in each row of the table to reveal more information about a grant. Some information has been redacted by the state.
About the data
The Office of the Governor provided the grant data to the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle. All amounts are grants that have been awarded to jurisdictions, but not necessarily disbursed or spent.
The Chronicle grouped the grants into 18 general categories: officers; other personnel; vehicles and accessories; building purchase, construction, renovation or repair; field supplies; radios and accessories; cameras and accessories; software; computers and accessories; detention costs; office supplies; training and travel; miscellaneous office technology; transport; office space or housing space for staff; canine; uniforms and an other or unknown category.
Grant descriptions are unedited and exactly as they appeared in the original database received from the state.
