Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton has filed a bill calling for former President Donald Trump's border wall to be finished using state funds.
The bill, titled HB 2862, directs the Texas Department of Public Safety to finish the construction of the wall on the Texas-Mexico border by using the border security enhancement fund which "is a special fund in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund," according to the bill.
"President Trump fought to bring real border security and was opposed by Republicans and Democrats in congress. While hundreds of miles of new wall were built under his leadership, the Biden administration has already ceased border wall construction," Slaton said in a statement sent to Newsweek. "With a surging immigration crisis at our southern border, it is time for Texas to stand up and finish the work that President Trump started by finishing the border wall now."
According to the text of the bill, it also calls for the wall on the state's side to be named after Trump.
"The department must include as part of the transportation infrastructure, technology, and commercial vehicle inspection infrastructure at ports of entry along this state's international border the construction to federal specifications for similar infrastructure of a wall to be named the "President Donald J. Trump Wall," the bill states.
The legislation also instructs the governor to ask the federal government to reimburse the state for any costs related to finishing constriction of the wall.
In a video posted to his Facebook on Tuesday, Slaton said, "Just wanted to let you know I filed House Bill 2862. This will complete the border wall and name it the Donald J. Trump wall. And as you know we have a crisis on our border."
"Illegal immigration is a problem and we need to do something about it. It's time for Texas to stand up. The federal government's not doing anything about it," Slaton said and included a link to a petition for Texans to sign to show their support for the completion of the border wall.
Throughout his presidency, Trump continued to emphasize the importance of the border wall and his administration said that they completed more than 400 miles of construction on the wall.
According to BBC, approximately 452 miles of the border wall were built under Trump's administration, but included only 80 miles of new barriers. The majority of the 452 miles constructed replaced existing structures built under previous administrations.
Slaton's legislation comes as many supporters of Trump and the border wall have criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the immigration situation at the Texas-Mexico border.
Biden has vowed to change the restrictive immigration policies enacted under Trump, such as ending the separation of families and stopped enrollments in the Migrant Protection Protocols policy, also known as the "remain in Mexico" policy.
Biden has faced backlash from many, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who issued a statement the same day Slaton filed his bill.
"The unconscionable act by the Biden administration of releasing COVID-positive illegal immigrants in our state puts the lives of Texans and Americans at risk," Abbott wrote. "Instead of doing their job, the Biden administration suggested it did not have the sufficient resources, and remarkably asked Texans to assist them in aiding their illegal immigration program. Texas refused. We will not aid a program that makes our country a magnet for illegal immigration."
Trump also recently responded to Biden's border policies, stating, "Our border is now totally out of control thanks to the disastrous leadership of Joe Biden."
Newsweek reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
