AUSTIN – 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 514,500 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 44,300 criminal arrests, with more than 38,700 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 504 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.
Texas has also transported:
Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
Over 45,700 migrants to New York City since August 2022
Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023
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.
Governor Abbott issued a statement on Monday following President Biden’s announcement of a new policy that will offer mass amnesty to half a million illegal immigrants:
“President Biden’s mass amnesty announcement is blatantly illegal and is a desperate pandering for votes in his failing reelection bid. President Biden’s amnesty proposal, just like President Obama’s DAPA and DACA proposals, will be stricken down by the courts for a simple reason: it is Congress, not the President, that has the authority to make or change immigration laws. Rather than solving the border crisis he caused, President Biden’s mass amnesty will be another magnet to attract migrants to flood across our border illegally. President Biden needs to stop rewriting immigration law and start enforcing it.”
On Wednesday, Governor Abbott joined Sandra Smith on Fox News’ America Reports where he condemned President Biden’s latest border policy that would grant mass amnesty to half a million illegal immigrants who have spent more than a decade violating the laws in the country.
“This is the last straw,” said Governor Abbott. “Americans have had it. Because of Joe Biden’s policies, we have had record-breaking illegal immigration that has led to crime. Now this amnesty proposal is a magnet that would entice even more people to come to our country illegally. To make matters worse, what he’s doing is completely unconstitutional and illegal. Texas is going to step up and take legal action and shut it down.”
On Tuesday, Governor Abbott joined Sean Hannity on Fox News to discuss the tragedies caused by President Biden’s open border polices, including the murder of a Maryland woman committed by a career criminal who crossed the border illegally.
“A woman would be alive today and a 13 year old would be unharmed today, if not for the open border policies of Joe Biden,” said Governor Abbott. “Those aren’t the only people harmed by people who have come across the border because of Joe Biden. But if it’s possible to make things worse, he did it today by granting this amnesty. What that shows to the world is come to the border as quickly as you can because it’s possible that you, too, may be able to get amnesty. So, this is nothing more than a magnet that will actually increase illegal immigration.”
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Governor Abbott shared the news that Texas has already captured two of the criminal illegal immigrants included on Texas’ newly announced Top 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants list.
Launched last week by Governor Abbott in partnership with DPS,Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants Listis a new initiative to locate and arrest repeat offenders who have entered the country illegally and are wanted for dangerous crimes committed in Texas.
On Tuesday, Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Neil Cavuto on Fox News to address President Biden’s recent border executive order. During the interview, Lt. Olivarez called out the President for not taking executive action earlier in his term.
“The question that should be raised is, if [the President was] able to take executive action now, why not take executive action on day one when there were policies in place to prevent the worst border security crisis we have ever experienced in our history,” said Lt. Olivarez. “Criminals that are coming across the border that are being released into the country right now, that’s where we need real action, real solutions, and many of these families that have been victimized by some of these criminal illegal immigrants, they want those answers. Condolences can only go so far. These families and the American people, they want action. They want real solutions, not during a political year, but they want solutions right now.”
Earlier this week, DPS troopers were led on a high-speed pursuit by a human smuggler driving a Ford F-250 on US-277 in Maverick County. During the pursuit, the driver rammed a ranch fence and evaded through the brush, driving through numerous ranches and ramming five additional fences in an attempt to elude DPS aircraft. All occupants bailed out and attempted to hide in the brush.
With assistance of a DPS brush team, DPS aircraft, and Border Patrol horse patrol, the smuggler and five illegal immigrants were arrested. The smuggler, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was charged with five counts of smuggling of persons, five counts of criminal trespass, five counts of criminal mischief, evading arrest, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. All five illegal immigrants were charged with five counts of criminal mischief, five counts of criminal trespass, and evading arrest on foot. DPS troopers later discovered one of the illegal immigrants, Nestor Farid Garcia Morales, had six outstanding warrants from the Saint Croix County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin.
A human smuggler driving a Ford Explorer led DPS troopers on a high-speed pursuit on FM-1472 in Webb County this week. During the pursuit, the smuggler drove on the wrong side of the road and eventually bailed out.
After a short foot chase, the smuggler, from Laredo, was arrested and charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest. Four illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.
DPS, Texas Rangers Arrest Illegal Immigrant With Ties To Gulf Cartel
Gerardo Cantu Herrera, an illegal immigrant from Mexico with ties to the Gulf Cartel, was taken into custody by DPS troopers and Texas Rangers Special Operations Group in Brownsville this week.
His arrest is a result of a collaborative state and federal investigation. Herrera was transported to a Border Patrol office for removal proceedings.
Members of the Texas National Guard continue to utilize every tool and strategy available to prevent illegal border crossings into the country. In El Paso, soldiers use drones to monitor the border and locate breaches in the concertina wire and people attempting to cross illegally.
“Using the drone, we’ll look for breaches or weak points in the [concertina] wire,” said Spc. Robert Vondersaar. “Our job comes down to working in the brush and scanning for heat sources or people illegally trying to enter the country through the brush and sneak in. I think [the drones are] an excellent resource for Texas. I’ve worked on the boats and been in the brush. I’m part of this mission, but the drones [are] by far the most effective resource that we have, and other soldiers will tell me all the time that [the drones] are a great asset and super useful.”
TexasNational Guard Uses Specialized Patrol Boats Along Rio Grande River
Texas National Guard soldiers working on Operation Lone Star maneuver boats along the Rio Grande River to prevent illegal crossings into the United States.
Specialized patrol boats play a crucial role in maintaining border security and safety. Air boats, known for enhanced maneuverability and speed in shallow water, are deployed alongside Jon boats, which allow soldiers to operate in various water depths and approach migrants before they cross illegally into Texas deterring and repelling them.
Operation Lone Star personnel are currently undergoing training for a third type of boat, the Center Console, at nearby Lake Amistad. This training is part of their ongoing readiness efforts for different scenarios involving people attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico.
