Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 491,100 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 37,800 criminal arrests, with more than 34,300 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 450 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused:
- Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
- Over 31,200 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 25,300 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 11,800 migrants to Denver since May 18
- Over 1,200 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14
Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:
Governor Abbott Signs Historic Border Security Measures In Brownsville
On Monday, in front of the Texas border wall in Brownsville, Governor Abbott signed into law a transformative package of border security legislation passed during Special Session #3 and Special Session #4 of the 88th Texas Legislature.
“President Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself. Today, I will sign three laws to better protect Texas—and America—from President Biden’s border neglect,” said Governor Abbott. “These laws will help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas, add additional funding to build more border wall, and crackdown on human smuggling.”
WATCH: Texas Expands Migrant Border Strategy To Include Flights To Chicago
On Wednesday, Governor Abbott shared a video on social media announcing the expansion of Texas’ border transportation operations to include flights to Chicago. Texas’ first migrant flight departed El Paso on Tuesday, December 19 and arrived in Chicago that evening with over 120 migrants.
In April 2022, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to begin the voluntary transportation of migrants to sanctuary cities.
Governor Abbott: Texas Will Hold Biden Administration Accountable On Border
Earlier this week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Biden Administration to stop cutting Texas’ razor wire, granting Texas’ injunction pending appeal.
Texas will continue to hold President Biden and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accountable until they do their jobs to secure the border.
WATCH: Lt. Olivarez Talks Biden’s ‘Extreme’ Open Border Policies
DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Neil Cavuto on Fox News this week where he responded to comments by the Biden Administration criticizing new measures signed into law by Governor Abbott that will enhance Texas’ border security efforts.
“The only thing extreme right now are the failed border policies that continue to encourage illegal immigration between ports of entry, [putting] the lives of illegal immigrants in danger by crossing a dangerous river with children and also placing their lives in the hands of smugglers,” said Lt. Olivarez. “Right now, the federal government has no solution to this current situation. They refuse to acknowledge that there’s a crisis at the border, and [Texas] is having to step in and take on that responsibility by taking historic action.”
WATCH: Lt. Olivarez Details New Border Surge In Eagle Pass
DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez spoke with Lawrence Jones on Fox & Friends to detail the harrowing effects of President Biden’s open border policies, using this week’s mass migrant surge in Eagle Pass as a recent example.
“”We haven’t see this type of flow [of illegal immigration] since we had the Haitian situation back in 2021 in Del Rio,” said Lt. Olivarez. “This is not your ordinary border situation. We’ve moved beyond chaos—this situation has gotten much worse. This is deliberate inaction by the federal government to secure our border.”
WATCH: DPS Troopers Arrest Human Smuggler From Guatemala In Uvalde County
On December 15, DPS troopers stopped a Cadillac Escalade in Uvalde County and discovered seven illegal immigrants being smuggled inside the SUV. The driver, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested and charged for smuggling of persons. The seven illegal immigrants, two from Guatemala and five from Mexico, were referred to Border Patrol.
WATCH: Lt. Olivarez Highlights Texas’ Efforts To Combat Ruthless Mexican Cartels
On Fox News this week, Lt. Olivarez described the dangerous reality of Mexican cartels operating on the Texas-Mexico border. Lt. Olivarez highlighted Texas’ recent success to secure Fronton Island in the Rio Grande River to gain operational control and prevent cross-border criminal activity from Mexican cartels.
“In October, there was a piece of land in South Texas—a 170 acre piece of land—that was designated the most dangerous area along the southwest border,” said Lt. Olivarez. “We were constantly seeing cartel fire between rival cartels and the Mexican military, and we were finding explosives and cartel members who were actually on that island in the United States heavily armed with tactical gear, long rifles, and explosives. We took that piece of land over thanks to the leadership of Governor Abbott and [Texas General Land Office] Commissioner Dawn Buckingham who gave us complete access of that island.”
WATCH: Texas National Guard Installs Barriers To Stem Eagle Pass Surge
On Monday, the Texas National Guard began installing anti-climb barriers in the Eagle Pass region to deter and repel the recent mass migration encouraged to enter illegally because of President Biden’s open border policies. Cpl. Aaron Barrow, an engineer on Operation Lone Star, describes his experience installing barriers to stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border.
“Today, we’re starting to put [anti-climb barriers] up, and then a bunch of [migrants] were coming up behind us, so we did our best to prevent them from coming up,” said Cpl. Aaron Barrow. “I’ve been in three different [areas of operation], and by far this one has been the busiest.”
