HOUSTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Greg Abbott, governor of U.S. state of Texas, on Wednesday announced 5.8 million U.S. dollars in grant funding for the Border Prosecution Unit (BPU) to help crack down on gangs and transnational criminal organizations along the state border.
Comprising 17 district and county attorney offices within the Texas border region, the BPU focuses on investigating and prosecuting cases related to narcotics, weapons, human trafficking, organized crime, gangs, and other border-related offenses.
The BPU works strategically with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and federal and local law-enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of cross-border violence.
In addition, the BPU funds full-time legal staffing within the Texas Anti-Gang Units (TAGs) in five areas in the state and provides a dedicated human trafficking attorney at the San Antonio TAG. This year, BPU programs have reported 10,261 contact hours of training conducted and 3,574 cases filed.
"Texas continues to invest in securing our southern border, and the Border Prosecution Unit is vital in helping investigate and prosecute the dangerous criminals that threaten our communities," said Abbott in a press release.
The governor's Homeland Security Grants Division (HSGD) administers the grant program, which provides prosecution resources for district and county attorneys along the Texas-Mexico border and counties significantly affected by border crime. The grants support salaries for prosecutors, paralegals and investigators, as well as training for unit members and law enforcement agencies.
Among the U.S. states, Texas has the longest stretch of border with Mexico. Texas borders four Mexican states, the most of any U.S. state.
