Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing 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 427,600 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 33,800 criminal arrests, with more than 30,700 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 426 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused:
• Over 11,300 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
• Over 13,100 migrants to New York City since August 2022
• Over 6,400 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
• Over 2,500 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
• Over 1,000 migrants to Denver since May 18
• Over 440 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: We Will Take Biden To Supreme Court To Protect Border
In a recent op-ed published in the New York Post, Governor Abbott defends Texas’ authority to secure the border amid President Biden’s continued refusal to enforce federal immigration laws. Last month, President Biden’s Department of Justice sued Texas for deploying floating marine barriers in the Rio Grande River as part of the state’s heightened deterrence effort.
“In accordance with the U.S. Constitution, as commander in chief of Texas’ militia I have asserted our state’s sovereign interest to protect our borders,” writes Governor Abbott. “The Biden Administration has left border states like Texas to fend for themselves amid the escalating crisis and is now misapplying some obscure statute to keep Texas from using the marine barriers to deter more illegal border crossings into our state. But let me be clear: We will continue to deploy every lawful tool and strategy to protect Texans. Critics of Texas’ border security mission have one thing right: The president has a constitutional responsibility to enforce existing federal immigration laws and protect the sovereignty of our homeland and the safety of our citizens. Until then, Texas will not bow to relentless Mexican cartels or the strongarm tactics of a negligent administration.”
