It was a change from the Republican governor's legal battles with the Biden administration. Abbott spent the last four years testing a state's ability to enforce immigration law — at times at odds with Border Patrol.

AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott asked Congress to reimburse the state for billions of dollars in Texas taxpayer money spent on border security during former President Joe Biden’s administration. In letters Thursday to congressional leaders and the state delegation, Abbott requested more than $11 billion from Washington.