Safer Texas

No one can benefit from the opportunities that Texas has to offer if their communities are not safe. Governor Abbott has worked tirelessly toward creating safer communities across Texas since he’s been in office, including: 

• Defunded cities that defund police
• Provided over $500 million in public safety grants in 2024 to local law enforcement agencies 
• Increased penalties for criminal activities that interfere with or harm law enforcement
• Signed a law to charge criminals with murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death

Bail Reform 

Governor Abbott has worked with the Texas Legislature to keep dangerous criminals behind bars by imposing tougher standards for setting bail and punishments for violating bond, including:

• Prohibited criminals charged with a violent offense from being released on a personal bond
• Required bail be set or denied within 48 hours of arrest and that criminal history be considered before setting bail
• Required mandatory training for judges on their duties when setting bail
• Required bond conditions be reported so law enforcement can apprehend offenders out on bail who are violating court orders

More must be done to rein in activist judges who too often set bail at shockingly low amounts, letting repeat off-enders back on the streets and endangering the lives of innocent Texans. That is why Governor Abbott declared bail reform as an emergency item.  This legislative session, Governor Abbott will work with the Texas Legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to: 

• Require judges to deny bail for violent offenders 
• Require that bail be denied if an offender is accused of capital murder or a sexual offense of a child
   

Cybersecurity

Texas is 8th largest economy in the world, #1 in the nation for in oil and gas production, home to 15 major military installations and has two international airline headquarters, making it a target for foreign adversaries like China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. Governor Abbott has stepped up to protect Texans and critical infrastructure from threats posed by hostile foreign actors, including:

• Directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to target and arrest any criminals executing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence
• Directed all state agencies and higher education institutions to harden state systems
• Directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management and Public Utility Commission of Texas to prepare for potential threats against Texas’ critical infrastructure
• Ordered all state agencies to fully divest from China
• Banned the use of AI and social media apps affiliated with the People’s Republic of China and the CCP on government-issued devices

As cybersecurity threats continue to increase in significance and sophistication, Texas must lead the nation in safeguarding critical infrastructure from hackers and hostile foreign actors. To protect Texans from emerging threats, Governor Abbott made the creation of the Texas Cyber Command an emergency item and will work with the Texas Legislature to pass it this session. The Texas Cyber Command will: 

• Anticipate and detect potential cyber threats
• Prepare for cyberattacks through various exercises, pre-attack coordination and planning, and proactive collaboration with critical infrastructure partners
• Defend against and respond to cyberattacks when they occur
• Work with state universities and Regional Security Operation Centers, as well as local, state, and federal agencies, to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity mission
• And more!

Border Security 

Governor Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to combat the record-high levels of illegal immigration, weapons, and deadly drugs like fentanyl surging into our communities due to former President Joe Biden’s reckless open border policies. Under this historic border mission, Texas has done more than any state in American history to hold the line and secure the border against former President Biden’s border crisis, including: 

• Deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers to the southern border
• Building the Texas border wall, the first state in U.S. history to do so
• Installing border barriers such as razor wire and buoys to stop illegal crossings
• Designating Mexican drug cartels and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations 
• Busing more than 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City to relieve overwhelmed border communities
• Seizing more than enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined

With the support of the Texas Legislature, Texas’ historic efforts reduced illegal crossings into the state by more than 85%.
Now, Texas has a partner in the White House who will help secure the border. Working with President Donald Trump and his Administration, Governor Abbott: 

• Ordered state agencies to assist with the arresting, jailing, and deporting of illegal immigrants
• Signed an agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deputize the Texas National Guard to make immigration arrests
• Directed DPS to dispatch tactical strike teams to root out and destroy Tren de Aragua in Texas