President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Venezuela "agreed to receive" illegal immigrants his administration is planning to deport.

"Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua," President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back. We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back."

On Friday, Trump’s envoy for special missions Ric Grenell met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas to discuss his country accepting violent criminals deported from the United States.

TRUMP OFFICIAL TRAVELS TO VENEZUELA IN PUSH FOR MADURO REGIME TO TAKE BACK TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

That same day, during a call with reporters, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell would tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members that have been "exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition."

Members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang TdA have been found across the U.S. over the last few years as illegal immigration exploded. In a video that went viral, suspected TdA members were seen taking over an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, where they terrorized residents for months.

DHS SEC. NOEM ANNOUNCES END TO TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal immigration authorities for a series of immigration raids in New York City where she claims they encountered a TdA member trying to buy grenades.

"He had just been a part of a gun weapons exchange and was trying to buy grenades," Noem said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends." "Why would anybody in this country need to buy a grenade and go out and perpetuate violence?"

Two other suspected TdA members were charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. They are accused of sexually assaulting the young girl before ultimately killing her and leaving her body under a bridge.

In addition to persuading Maduro to take back violent criminals deported from the U.S., Grenell succeeded in securing the freedom of six Americans, who joined him on his flight back to the US. The Trump administration official tweeted a photo of the men on the plane, saying that "couldn’t stop thanking" President Trump.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves for his first overseas trip as the nation’s top diplomat on Saturday. Rubio's first stop on the six-day visit is Panama as he sets out on pursuing President Donald Trump’s geopolitical agenda.

Trump used his inaugural address to proclaim his intent to "take back" the Panama Canal, and in a call with reporters on Friday, Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said Rubio’s chief purpose of the trip would be in re-establishing a "Golden Age" for America.

"This trip signifies… that era of American greatness and the Golden Age," he said, adding that "the 21st century will also be an American century."

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Claver-Carone pointed out that Rubio’s trip to Latin America is the first time a secretary of state has traveled to the region as their first official visit abroad in over 100 years. 

"Last time that happened, I believe, was in 1912, when Philander Chase Knox went to Panama… to oversee the conclusion of the Panama Canal’s construction and operations," he told reporters. "What a great message to harken back to that Golden Age of the Americas, as President Trump himself has mentioned."

Rubio is scheduled to meet with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.

The pair are expected to discuss migration, combating drug trafficking and China’s presence in the Panama Canal, which Rubio and Trump have argued has become overrun by Chinese companies operating at either end of the crucial waterway.

The Trump administration has argued that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) tight grip over all Chinese companies means that, in extension, the CCP is operating out of the canal and could, in theory, close it to U.S. trade if it chose to — posing a significant security threat. 

TRUMP OFFICIAL TRAVELS TO VENEZUELA TO NEGOTIATE DEAL FOR DEPORTING TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

Mulino has repeatedly denied that Chinese companies have any influence over the operations of the Panama Canal, and on Thursday said he would not be negotiating ownership of the canal with Rubio.

"It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate," Mulino said during a Thursday press conference when asked about negotiating control of the canal, The Associated Press reported. "That is done. The canal belongs to Panama."

Mulino apparently claimed confusion over control of the canal was attributed to his predecessor, who severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, eventually allowing a Hong Kong consortium to operate ports at both ends of the canal.

Panama maintains that it controls the canal.

Claver-Carone argued that Chinese companies control "everything from force and logistics to telecommunications, infrastructure, and otherwise," which he said is not only a security threat to U.S. interests in the canal, but to the national security of Panama and the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio is also slated to visit El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, where he will meet with the presidents of each nation before returning to the U.S. on Thursday. 

Addressing Chinese influence in these countries, along with gang violence, migration and drug trafficking, will also be top of Rubio’s agenda.

President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Venezuela to deliver an in-person message to socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro about accepting violent criminals deported from the United States.

On a call with reporters Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell will tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua gang members that have been "exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition." 

Grenell will also demand that Venezuela immediately release American hostages being held in that country, Claver-Carone said.

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The trip "focuses on two very specific issues. That we expect that Venezuelan criminals and gangs will be returned, as they are, to every country in the world, without conditions, and two, that American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally," he explained. 

"This is not a quid pro quo. It's not a negotiation in exchange for anything. President Trump himself has made that very clear." 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that Grenell had arrived in Venezuela on orders from the president. 

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Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term earlier this month.

The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on Venezuelan citizens to protest the Maduro regime and demand that González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela.

DETAILS OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER'S POSSIBLE ARREST REMAIN UNCLEAR AMID MADURO INAUGURATION RESISTANCE

As many as 10 Americans are currently detained in Venezuela, although the State Department has not declared them wrongfully detained. Three are U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in a plot to destabilize the country, according to Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

The State Department has denied any U.S. involvement with a plot to overthrow Maduro. 

It remains unclear how many Americans are currently held in Venezuela following the significant prisoner swap in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro.

Saab was arrested during the first Trump administration on charges related to a $350 million bribery scheme. 

On Sunday, President Donald Trump whipped Colombian President Gustavo Petro into compliance by threatening 25% tariffs on Colombian goods and other economic measures for refusing to accept a U.S. military aircraft carrying illegal migrants whom Trump wanted deported back to Colombia. 

The Colombia case provides a glimpse into Trump’s mindset and how he will conduct his foreign policy from now on.

Economic warfare and "disabuse others from being tempted" will be the key tenets of Trump’s playbook for his foreign policy during his second term. And that is a stark difference from the foreign policy approach used by the Biden-Harris team and other previous administrations.

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Traditionally, before Trump, Washington has relied on ideology, appeasement, foreign aid and thoughtless use of military power when it came to international relations. This misguided albeit bipartisan approach that guided U.S. statecraft for more than a quarter of a century has made America poorer, less safe and disrespected on the world stage. Moreover, it destabilized some parts of the world, such as the Middle East.

Gone are the days when American servicemen and women will be casually deployed to democratize every nook and cranny of the world and giving their lives for someone else’s freedom. The ultimate realpolitik-minded statesman, Trump adheres to the "respect equals fear" philosophy underpinned by a purely transactional approach. The Donald is not afraid of being perceived as a bully. He seems to prefer it.

Beware Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, the "Rocketman" and the ayatollahs. 

To understand Trump’s "disabuse others from being tempted" doctrine, let’s take a look at Russian Czar Peter the Great, who in 1718 tortured to death his own son for allegedly conspiring against him. Seeking to modernize Russia into a European country, Peter in 1698 introduced a tax on beards, to make Russian men look and act more like Westerners. 

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The Russian authoritarian, who ruled Russia from 1696 until his death in 1725, also issued a series of imperial edicts, which mandated capital punishment conducted publicly for certain crimes, to deter criminal acts. The edict on trade mandated that "one merchant is hanged each year to disabuse others from being tempted." "Trade [in fish, sugar, and gold] is an affair of thieves," was the justification used in the decree, implying that everyone involved in trade was a thief, so to reduce theft, others must be deterred by punishing someone publicly.

By executive order, Trump has already put all foreign aid on hold, worldwide, including to Ukraine. Only Israel and Egypt were exempted. He threatened tariffs on China, insisted on buying Greenland, suggested making Canada the 51st state, and told Putin to end his "ridiculous" war in Ukraine or face more sanctions. The bombastic commander in chief warned Hamas and implicitly its backer Iran that "all hell will break loose" if the hostages in Gaza are not released.

All of this rhetoric is intended to unbalance our enemies and make clear that America is serious about its own security and prosperity first. It will no longer lecture Putin how to treat Russians or Xi Jinping how to govern China. But it will unleash the full force of economic warfare, if they don’t fall in compliance.

Trump is also signaling to U.S. partners, such as some NATO members who haven’t fully paid their membership dues, that America will no longer be taken advantage of. He will likely enforce his request that NATO dues are raised to 5% of GDP instead of 2%.

Trump is thinking big. He wants to transform the way America conducts its foreign affairs and even military strategy. Thinking is Trump’s lifelong credo. "I like thinking big, I always have. To me, it’s very simple. If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big," he declared in 1987, well before entering politics, when promoting his book "The Art of the Deal."

What kind of deal Trump will be able to make depends on how well Trump and his team understand how Putin, Xi and the ayatollahs think and what drives them. For most of them, their national interest, goals and ambitions surpass economic concerns. Let’s hope that Team Trump understands how these foreign leaders and their people think. They don’t think like Americans.

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Ten alleged members and associates of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been indicted in a massive arms and drugs-running operation spanning at least six states and prosecutors said they had plans to expand on an international level to Colombia.

In New York City on Wednesday, police said that one of the accused violent migrant gangbangers broke an NYPD officer’s arm after he got into a scuffle during his arrest.

Authorities seized a cache of 34 illegal guns, including AR-15 assault rifles and a Glock 9mm with a trigger modification making it an automatic, tied to the suspects, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. 

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Katz said the TDA gang members were also peddling deadly drugs including pink cocaine, a designer street drug that includes a mixture of ketamine, MDMA and ecstasy.

All ten are migrants – including two women – are from Venezuela and entered the country illegally via the southern border, police said. 

This subset of the gang was spearheaded by two Venezuelan nationals who came to New York City two years ago and established a gun-running crew that was also comprised of other foreign nationals. 

Enyerbert Blanco, 24, the alleged ringleader, has been in custody in Florida since October after being charged in connection with a human trafficking case involving a 15-year-old girl, Katz said.

"We allege that as members and associates, they trafficked weapons and made money in furtherance of TdA’s agenda and as they seek to establish themselves in New York City, we are individually dismantling them," Katz said. 

Katz said the investigation, dubbed Operation Train Derail, began more than a year ago and was carried out by her office and the NYPD.

Five of the 10 are charged with two counts of criminal sale of a firearm and face up to 25 years in jail if they are convicted. 

The remainder are variously indicted on firearm possession charges and other crimes. They face a maximum of 15 years in prison. All ten of them are charged with conspiracy to possess and sell illegal firearms in New York City. 

NOEM SAYS 'WORST OF THE WORST' ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Four are now in custody in New York City, while four others are behind bars outside the state, including two in Texas and two in Florida. The others are still on the loose. Their illicit operation also spanned Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Colorado, Katz said.

Katz didn’t say whether ICE would be deporting the suspects, insisting she was treating the operation as a gun-running case.

She said that the group were brazen in gun dealings.

"In one instance, the defendant transported an AR-15 wrapped in a black garbage bag for sale in the Bronx County. This buy occurred at 3:45 p.m. in front of a residential building."

Five other firearm buys – between Oct. 30 through Dec. 10 - took place inside a Target car park in College Point, in Queens.

The going rate for an assault weapon is $2,500 to $2,800, while loaded operable handguns sold between $1,200 and $1,800, she said. 

"This group was very entrepreneurial. They really made sure that this business was run like a clock," Katz said. "They stole firearms that were proceeds of burglaries and car break-ins from other states. They relied on use of rental vehicles to come up the iron pipeline and sell them to people in the city of New York. They were aware that they could make money in the city of New York, and they even discussed potentially smuggling them into Columbia due to the success of this investigation."

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the injured officer is set to have surgery after this week and separate charges will be filed. 

"TDA is a dangerous transnational gang that has specialized in murder, trafficking, and mayhem," NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said. "The NYPD will always work with our federal and our local partners to take down international gangs like TDA, who would wreak havoc on this city."

Some of the TDA members indicted include Wrallan Meza, 27; Leoner Aguilera, 21; Brayant Aguilar, 21; Rosemary Sanchez, 24; Enyerling Zambrano, 29; Alejandro Rondon, 19, and Oscar Sosa, 31.

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The bust in Queens came a day after immigration raids in the Bronx which saw gang member Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, picked up by Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

Zambrano-Pacheco is wanted by police in Aurora, Colorado, for first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm from an Aug. 18, caught-on-camera incident where police say he and five other armed men are accused of breaking into an apartment at gunpoint.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tells Fox News that Zambrano-Pacheco is also wanted in part of a gun weapons exchange and was trying to buy grenades. Police say he’s also been charged with kidnapping, extortion, and menacing.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro swiftly backtracked on his refusal to accept deportation flights from the United States after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs and other measures. 

The White House confirmed on Sunday that Colombia's president had caved "to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," 

"Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement," the statement said. "The visa sanctions issued by the State Department, and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection, will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned."

"Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again," the statement added. "President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation's sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States."

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Earlier in the day Sunday, Gustavo appeared to fold almost immediately after Trump threatened to punish the country for refusing deportation flights. Gustavo offered his presidential plane to repatriate migrants coming back from the U.S.

Trump told Fox News Petro did a total about-face after his tariff threat.

In a statement translated from Spanish, the Colombian government said the plane will help facilitate a "dignified return."

"The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were going to arrive in the country today in the morning, coming from deportation flights," the translated statement read.

"This measure responds to the Government's commitment to guarantee decent conditions."

This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump's ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals."

"I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory," Petro said. "The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them."

In response, Trump threatened to unleash a slew of punishments, including ordering a 25% tariff on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia.

Trump threatened that the tariffs would rise to 50% after one week, Trump said. The president also ordered a travel ban and visa revocations for all Colombian government officials, plus "allies and supporters."

"These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!" Trump warned.

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"I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people."

"Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio partially fulfilled Trump's order on Sunday, publishing a statement about the agency imposing visa restrictions in order "to enforce and prioritize an America First agenda."

"Following President Petro’s refusal to accept two repatriation flights he previously authorized, Secretary Rubio immediately ordered a suspension of visa issuance at the U.S. Embassy Bogota consular section," the State Department said. "Secretary Rubio is now authorizing travel sanctions on individuals and their families, who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations."

"Measures will continue until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection acted with similar swiftness to implement Trump's orders.

The agency said it was taking "decisive measures" including enhanced inspections of flights, private aircraft, and cargo to and from Colombia, denying boarding to flagged visa holders and enforcing the travel ban on Colombian officials with DOS coordination.

On Sunday afternoon, Petro issued a similar threat to Trump, saying that he ordered his foreign trade minister "to raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. by 25%." 

"The ministry should help direct our exports to the whole world other than the US," the translated post read. "Our exports should be expanded."

Later, Petro published a lengthy rant where he raised the tariffs to 50%.

"I am informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same," the translated X post said.

Amid the back-and-forth between Petro and Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson weighed in on social media and warned that "Colombia and all nations should be on notice."

"Congress is fully prepared to pass sanctions and other measures against those that do not fully cooperate or follow through on requirements to accept their citizens who are illegally in the United States," Johnson wrote. "President Trump is putting America first, just like he said he would. And Congress will implement policies that reinforce his agenda."

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Colombia’s president issued a decree Friday giving him emergency powers to restore order in a coca-growing region bordering Venezuela that has been wracked in recent days by a deadly turf war among dissident rebel groups.

President Gustavo Petro's decree, which can be extended, gives him 90 days to impose curfews, restrict traffic and take other steps that would normally violate Colombians' civil rights or require congressional approval.

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It is the first time in more than a decade that a Colombian president has used such an extreme measure and underscores the seriousness of the current conflict in a country that for decades was paralyzed by political violence.

However, it applies only to the rural Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, where the Colombian state has struggled for decades to gain a foothold. In the past week, at least 80 people have been killed and an estimated 36,000 more displaced as fighting intensifies between the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and holdouts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Petro's conservative opponents have criticized the move, accusing the former guerrilla of riding roughshod over the constitution. But some activists have celebrated it, saying they are hopeful the move translates into better infrastructure, health care and schools in the traditionally lawless region.

"Why are the armed groups here? Because the last government hasn't made investments. They've abandoned us," Jaime Botero, an activist in the town of Tibu, told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week Petro reactivated arrest orders against 31 top ELN commanders that had been suspended as part of an effort to woo the the Cuban revolution-inspired insurgency into a peace deal to end its 60 year war against the state. Petro also suspended all peace talks, which have advanced slowly since he took office in 2022.

The ELN has traditionally dominated in Catatumbo but has been losing ground to holdouts from the FARC, a guerrilla group that largely disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with the government.

The current conflict is spilling across the border into Venezuela, where some of those fleeing the violence have sought refuge.

The current whereabouts of the ELN peace negotiators is unknown. But Cuba's government this week said they are not there, leading some to speculate they may be hiding in Venezuela, which is one of the sponsors of Petro's peace initiative with the ELN.

FIRST ON FOX: The Monroe Doctrine is back in full swing – both with President-elect Donald Trump’s push for a takeover of the Panama Canal and new legislation from Rep. Mark Green to encourage investment in Latin America.

The Homeland Security chairman and Tennessee Republican put forth a pair of bills on Friday – one to use tariffs to create a low-interest loan program for companies to relocate from China to Latin America.

Another would use tariffs collected on Chinese goods to offer a tax incentive to offset moving costs for U.S. companies to bring their operations back to U.S. soil. 

The Western Hemisphere Nearshoring Act would institute a program through the International Development Finance Corporation to buy down interest rates with tariff money. 

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Under the Bring American Companies Home Act, amounts paid to move inventory, equipment or supplies used in a trade or business from China to the U.S. would be allowed as a deduction on taxes. The program would be funded through a trust fund of tariffs collected. 

"Communist China's malign influence continues to spread throughout the Western Hemisphere. It's time for us to take a stand. By rebuilding infrastructure and manufacturing jobs in this region, we can mute China's siren song," Green told Fox News Digital. 

The U.S. has long invested heavily in Latin America and the Carribean, but China is South America’s biggest trading partner and benefactor. As part of its Belt and Road initiative, it is increasingly flexing its muscle with grants and loans across the continent. China in November unveiled a megaport in Peru. 

Lawmakers have begun to float ideas to "reshore" supply chains from China and reassert hegemony in the western hemisphere with trade partnerships throughout the Americas. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris, tapped to lead the border response, focused on the "root causes" of immigration by attempting to bring investment to Latin America to improve conditions for locals so they would not make the dangerous trek to the U.S. border. 

Trump has signaled that he will re-prioritize the western hemisphere, a priority dating back to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, through calls for the U.S. to take back the Panama Canal. 

Over the past few weeks, Trump has insisted that China is in control of the canal and that Panama is "ripping off" the U.S. 

"Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country," Trump said. "It's being operated by China — China! — and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn't give it to China. They've abused that gift."

China is the second-largest user of the canal after the U.S. and a major investor in the country. Two of the canal’s ports of entry are owned by a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison. Beijing also helped finance a new bridge over the waterway.

According to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and Tren de Aragua (TdA) migrant gang activity have reduced illegal crossings by nearly 90% and resulted in close to 50,000 criminal arrests.

Abbott’s office said that the Texas-led campaign called "Operation Lonestar," which was first launched in March 2021 and has seen the participation of over a dozen other Republican states, has led to 530,400 illegal immigrant apprehensions and over 49,900 criminal arrests, with more than 42,900 felony charges.

During this operation, Texas also became the first state to build a border wall on its own, continuing border wall construction at strategic points despite President Biden putting a stop to it in the early days of his administration.

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"Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua," Abbott said on X. "We will not allow this gang to operate or gain a foothold in Texas."

The governor’s office also said that during Operation Lonestar, Texas law enforcement seized over 620 million lethal doses of fentanyl, which they said is "enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined."

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The office noted that Abbott designated TdA, whose violent crime has been sweeping across the nation, a foreign terrorist organization and launched a strike team to target, identify and arrest members of the group.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested four TdA members crossing the border on New Year's Eve, one of whom was identified as a possible high-ranking member of the gang.

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The statement also said that Texas has transported a total of 119,400 migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles, all of which have migrant sanctuary policies in place.

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that Operation Lone Star has cost Texas more than $11 billion, all of which was spent on efforts to secure the border, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, transporting migrants to sanctuary cities, installing strategic barriers, cracking down against violent gangs like TdA, and building new border wall.

"Because of these efforts, Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87%," said Mahaleris. "Texas has held the line against the Biden-Harris border crisis for the past four years, and Governor Abbott looks forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump and his incoming administration to protect our state and the nation."