Biden admin again rejects Texas' request for federal reimbursement for cost of responding to border crisis

More than 1 million illegal immigrants have made their way into the U.S. since President Joe Biden took office Jan. 20. And that figure is on pace to surpass 2 million by the end of 2021.

Texas has borne the brunt of the effort and expense to take on the border crisis, so naturally, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) asked the federal government, which is tasked with border enforcement, to reimburse the Lone Star State for expenses incurred while doing the feds' job.

But the Biden administration's Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected Abbott's request — and this week doubled down by rejecting the governor's appeal of FEMA's original denial.

What happened?

Abbott first asked FEMA for help in a letter dated Sept. 20, the Washington Examiner reported. In the letter, the governor noted that counties along the borer had been in crisis since May 31. Based on the fact that "border security is a federal responsibility," he asked the feds to recognize his declared disaster status and cover the cost the state incurred for the above-normal state and local border enforcement efforts.

FEMA denied his request, so Abbott appealed the decision.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell responded Sunday with a letter that again denied Abbott's request to recognize the ongoing emergency at the border.

"After a thorough review of all the information contained in your initial request and appeal, we reaffirm our original findings that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted for this event," Criswell wrote in the letter obtained and published by the Examiner. "Therefore, I must inform you that your appeal for an emergency declaration is denied."

Though Abbott has not said how much the state has spent on border enforcement, the Examiner wrote that the figure is in the "millions of dollars" and said that "thousands" of National Guard troops as well as state police have been sent to the impacted regions since the state initiated Operation Lone Star back in March.

Now Texas officials are preparing for another massive surge of illegal immigrants from Haiti, South America, and Central America whose caravan steamrolled north past a roadblock in southern Mexico over the weekend.

The Mexican National Guard set up the roadblock, employing some 400 law enforcement officers with shields and anti-riot gear. But the migrants overwhelmed the government forces and bulldozed the officers.