Credit : The White House's X
WASHINGTON, November 5, 2026 — US President Donald Trump has said the federal government will carry on his border security policy in Texas if the state’s newly elected Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, scales back the state’s role along the US-Mexico frontier.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday after signing a proclamation, Trump was asked whether he was ready to reinforce the Texas southern border now that the incoming Democratic administration was expected to remove state manpower from border defence. The White House later shared the exchange on its official X account under the caption: “If they don’t continue my policy, I will.”
“I am sure that the new governor is going to want to have security on this Texas border,” Trump said. He added that people on television had described conditions on the border as “like living in heaven compared to living in hell when Biden was there”, before stating: “And I’m sure they’ll continue my policy. And if they don’t continue my policies, I will.”
Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative from Austin who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott in the November 3 midterm elections. According to US media reports, she will become the first Latina governor of Texas and the first Democrat elected to the office since Ann Richards. She is due to take office in January 2027, and until then Texas’s border operations remain under Abbott’s command.
Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, deploying the Texas National Guard and state Department of Public Safety personnel to the border, building state-funded barriers and cooperating closely with federal immigration authorities. The programme became one of the most prominent state-led border security efforts in the country and a central plank of Abbott’s time in office.
During her campaign, Hinojosa criticised Operation Lone Star as political theatre and accused Abbott of wasting public money to “grandstand”. She has said, however, that she supports a secure border and has acknowledged that illegal crossings have fallen under Trump. Her campaign also said she would “never offer up Texas as a staging ground for operations that terrorize families”, in reference to certain immigration enforcement tactics and family detention.
US media reports say Hinojosa has not yet set out detailed plans for Operation Lone Star or for the National Guard and state police assets currently assigned to the border, nor has she committed to withdrawing state personnel. Her transition team has so far focused on broader priorities, including education and bipartisanship.
Immigration enforcement in the United States remains primarily a federal responsibility, with US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) retaining authority regardless of state policy. Texas covers roughly two-thirds of the US-Mexico border, making the state’s approach significant for national border security.
No immediate changes to federal operations along the Texas border have been announced. Trump’s remarks nonetheless set out his position before the new governor takes office, signalling that Washington is prepared to step in should Austin change course on border security.
The comments came as Trump enters the final two years of his presidency following the midterm elections, with border security remaining one of his administration’s signature issues.
Source: The White House on X
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