ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

GREG ABBOTT
From: Daniel Hode
First Assistan Attorney General
To: State Agency Heads
Date: July 8,2014
Re: Request for Information Concerning Litigation RE: Unauthorized Immigrant Crisis
The combination of dramatically increased unauthorized immigration and the federal
governments refusal to enforce the law has created what President Obama himself now calls an
urgent humanitarian situation along the Texas border.
While the federal government is exclusively responsible for securing the border, we are deeply
concerned that the cost of federal policies is being born by the State of Texas and its taxpayers.
Relevant costs include but are not limited to increased expendituresand potential future
expenditureson education, health care, criminal justice, and law enforcement.
Given the federal governments failure to address this very serious problem, the Attorney
Generals Office is assessing all potential legal avenues against the federal government to recoup
all related costs that have been incurred by the State of Texas and its agencies. This is
particularly important in light of the Presidents recent request for emergency congressional
funding, which appears to not include any reimbursement for costs incurred by Texas taxpayers.
In an effort to ensure that your agency has the greatest possible chance to recover any
expenditures, we are requesting that your agency provide us with any documentation, data,
analyses, and cost estimate that reflect costs incurred by your agency since June 2012, as well as
anticipated costs through the current budget cycle resulting from or related to any unauthorized
immigration.
Given the impact this issue has on the State of Texas budget, we need this information as soon
as possible. The OAG staffer responsible for collecting this information, Katie Taylor, can be
reached via email at katie.taylortexasattornevgeneraLgov or by phone at (512) 463-1415. It
would be most helpful to receive your response no later than the close of business on August 1,
2014.
Finally, given the possibility of litigation, it is crucial that you and your agency take affirmative
steps to preserve information that may be relevant any potential legal action.
POST OFFICE Box 12548, AuSTIN, TExAS 78711-2548 TEL:(5 12)463-2100 WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US
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