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Texas Spending $800 Million On Border Security

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R)

Texas is going on a spending spree aimed at securing the Mexican border, but the spending raises questions about whether the state is creating its own border patrol.

The state's new Republican governor, Greg Abbott, this month approved $800 million for border security over the next two years — more than double any similar period in the previous 14 years under former Gov. Rick Perry.

Texas is doing so at a time when the number of immigrants crossing the border illegally has subsided.

Items on the state's shopping list to reinforce the border include a second $7.5 million spy plane, a 5,000-acre training facility, two dozen corruption investigators and 250 new state troopers.

Critics say there is little accounting of how the money is spent or whether it is effective.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.