AUSTIN – 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 447,800 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 34,200 criminal arrests, with more than 31,200 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 428 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused:
Over 11,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
Over 14,100 migrants to New York City since August 2022
Over 7,600 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
Over 2,900 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
Over 1,300 migrants to Denver since May 18
Over 530 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.
With the Biden Administration considering forcing some migrants to remain in Texas, Governor Abbott told Fox News this week that the State of Texas will not let this policy be carried out.
“This is a day of reckoning for the United States to realize the liberal policies of open borders will not work in this country,” said Governor Abbott. “The [remain in Texas] policy should be one mile further across the Rio Grande. It should be ‘Remain in Mexico,’ not ‘Remain in Texas.’ That policy has been tried in the past, and it was legally stricken down. We have a lawsuit ready to go that will eliminate this threat by Joe Biden if he dares try to pull the trigger on it.”
Governor Abbott this week highlighted Texas’ continued work to construct new border wall in the Del Rio sector to provide Texans with the support and protection they need and deserve amid President Biden’s border crisis.
DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez joined Fox News last weekend where he pushed back on claims that Texas’ floating marine barriers are causing navigational disruption in the Rio Grande River.
“The argument is that the marine barrier is causing navigational disruption in the river,” said Lt. Olivarez. “If we really want to look at navigational disruption in the river, it’s gonna be the fact that you have hundreds and hundreds of illegal immigrants crossing that river.”
DPS troopers discovered nine illegal immigrants hidden inside a sand trailer during a traffic stop in Dimmit County this week. The trailer was being hauled behind a stolen truck tractor and was sealed at the top. The driver from San Antonio was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle along with smuggling of persons with the likelihood of serious bodily injury or death. All nine illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.
DPS Arrests Smuggling Guides, One Previously Apprehended By Border Patrol
The DPS Brush Team in the Rio Grande Valley arrested two smuggling guides who smuggled seven illegal immigrants across the Rio Grande River. Troopers discovered one of the guides had 36 apprehensions by Border Patrol. The smuggling guide will now face state criminal charges for human smuggling.
Last Friday, a human smuggler led DPS troopers on a high-speed pursuit in Kinney County. The driver was eventually slowed by a tire deflation device, then crashed through a ranch fence and bailed out. The driver is identified as Jose Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. The truck he was driving was stolen. He was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a stolen vehicle and smuggling of persons. Six illegal immigrants from Mexico were apprehended and referred to Border Patrol.
DPS Special Agents and Texas Highway Patrol troopers discovered 17 illegal immigrants, including one juvenile, concealed underneath a flatbed trailer in Webb County. They pulled over the tractor trailer hauling the flatbed, and a search revealed the illegal immigrants. All were found inside a box container underneath the flatbed without proper ventilation. All 17 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol. The driver is a confirmed Tango Gang member and was arrested and charged.
Texas Army National Guard Specialist Aaron Holder provides a first-hand account of illegal immigration along the border in El Paso. Spc. Holder details how fencing and multiple layers of concertina wire deter illegal immigration and redirect migrants to legal ports of entry.
“The fence is a pretty good symbol—it means you can’t take this way anymore,” said Spc. Holder. “It’s to make sure they’re going about the immigration process legally.”
