SAN ANTONIO – A month after launching an international billboard campaign to deter illegal migrant crossings, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office is trying to keep the amount the project is costing taxpayers a secret.
During a December 2024 news conference on a ranch near Eagle Pass, Abbott estimated that the campaign would cost around $100,000.
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KSAT Investigates filed a records request with Abbott’s office for financial records tied to the billboards.
Abbott’s office told KSAT that they have those records, but they’re asking the attorney general’s office to decide whether they’re required to share the documents.
In December, KSAT Investigates asked Abbott if he believed the campaign was a good use of funds to address border issues.
“Every tool and strategy that we find and locate are effective strategies. There are a lot of organizations and people who are providing a contrary narrative to what we are saying today…” Abbott responded. “We are trying to provide pushback against that narrative and provide reality, facts for immigrants thinking about coming here to save their lives, to save them from sexual assault, save them from being arrested, and let them know there are consequences if they take any further steps to come to the state of Texas.”
The governor also mentioned the state’s efforts to build physical barriers and deploy law enforcement to prevent illegal crossings.