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 479,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 35,500 criminal arrests, with more than 32,300 felony charges reported. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 434 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 21,100 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 16,500 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,200 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 4,600 migrants to Denver since May 18
- Over 1,000 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: Texas Is Only State In U.S. History To Build Own Border Wall
While President Biden refuses to secure the border, Texas has stepped up as the only state in U.S. history to build our own border wall.
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Governor Abbott: Texas Kicks Off Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week In Schools
As President Biden’s open border policies allow deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour across the border, the State of Texas kicked off the first-ever Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week in schools across the state. Governor Abbott encourages all parents, teachers, and students to join the fight against this clandestine killer.
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WATCH: DPS Provides First-Hand Look At Dangers Of Human Smuggling
ABC-7 in El Paso joined DPS troopers assigned to Operation Lone Star for a nighttime ride along to provide an up-close account of the dangers of human smuggling and related vehicle pursuits. Shortly after leaving DPS headquarters, reporters witnessed a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash with four migrants inside, one of whom was seriously injured. The teenage driver attempted to flee on foot but was eventually captured.
An aerial tour witnessed an SUV picking up a group of roughly a dozen migrants in the desert brush, while troopers on the ground tracked the vehicle. The driver attempted to evade the troopers at speeds that reached 70 mph in a residential area, and the pursuit ended in a crash. The driver was charged with smuggling of persons.
“We’re all assisting for one goal—to get these people off the road, because we know what it leads to and it’s not safe for them,” said DPS Sgt. Elliot Torres. “They might feel like they’re coming to America and that they’re going to a safer place, but they get taken to these stash houses. They get abused, they get told that they need to pay a debt.”
