SAN ANTONIO — Texas Representative Jacey Jetton told fellow lawmakers Monday that HB 6 would provide "critically needed funding for the continued construction of border-barrier infrastructure. "
Lawmakers discussed the bill in the House Appropriations Committee, where he faced pushback from several Democratic lawmakers. The bill would send $1.2 billion directly to construction-ready projects and would provide another $300 million when new opportunities for construction open up.
At the same time, the bill would only pay for 50 miles of border wall. Put in perspective, the U.S.-Mexico border runs 68 miles in Maverick County alone.
While the bill doesn't currently specify where the 50 miles of wall will be built, Jetton said those miles would actually be split between sections of Starr, Webb, Maverick, and Val Verde counties.
"The governor's office... identified heavily trafficked areas and are working with land owners to prioritize those portions of the border first," Jetton said.
Texas has already spent $1.6 billion on building around 45 miles of border wall, but Jetton could not say how much of that has actually been constructed at this time. Despite the limited amount of ground the wall would cover, Jetton said it was an important part of the state's border security strategy.
"We have multiple tools in the toolbox that we are using to secure the border whether that is manpower with Operation Lonestar, whether it is buoys, whether it is border wall," Jetton said. "We need to deploy every tool that we have."
Still, other lawmakers questioned if those sections of wall would be effective at stopping illegal immigration.
"If you had an opportunity of creating a better life for your family, will a wall stop you from doing that? Will a wall deter you from moving from possible death to a better living?" Representative Jarvis Johnson asked.
Jetton countered by saying sections of wall can still help shift the flow of illegal immigration by forcing individuals into "choke points," where Border Patrol officers and state troopers are more likely to find them.
Opponents also questioned if the new sections of wall would be worth the cost while other needs exist elsewhere in the state.
"Did you know that we could build 40 new hospitals with $1.5 billion?" Representative Gonzalez said.
The House Appropriations Committee in the ended voted 14-9 in favor of HB 6, according to the Texas Tribune. Jetton said that, if the bill passes, he believes the new section of wall will be completed in 2025.
>MORE ON KENS: