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 behavior between ports of entry.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 317,000 migrant apprehensions and more than 21,000 criminal arrests, with more than 18,600 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 342 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused over 8,200 migrants to our nation’s capital since April, over 3,400 migrants to New York City since August 5, and more than 1,000 migrants to Chicago since August 31. The busing mission is providing much-needed relief to our overwhelmed border communities.
Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left 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 Biden’s open border policies.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:
Governor Abbott Launches Statewide “One Pill Kills” Campaign
Governor Abbott this week announced the launch of the State of Texas’ coordinated “One Pill Kills” campaign to combat the growing national fentanyl crisis, which is a deadly byproduct of President Biden’s open border policies. Governor Abbott also announced new laws to be considered this upcoming legislative session that would classify fentanyl as a poisoning, allow charging an individual for murder if they distribute fentanyl or drugs laced with fentanyl that kill someone, and make NARCAN more readily available across the state for Texans exposed to fentanyl.
“Fentanyl remains the single deadliest drug threat our state and nation has ever encountered, killing four Texans every day,” said Governor Abbott. “In the Biden Administration’s negligence to address this national security threat, Texas has designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations and is launching a statewide public awareness campaign to fight the fentanyl crisis in our state.”
Last month, Governor Abbott directed state agency leaders to ramp up efforts to respond to the crisis, including coordinating outreach to raise awareness of fentanyl’s lethality and prevalence.
Read the press release announcing the statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign.
Governor Abbott Holds Roundtable, Press Conference In Waco On Fentanyl Crisis
Governor Abbott held a press conference following a roundtable discussion with state and local law enforcement at the DPS Waco Regional Laboratory on Tuesday to highlight the newly launched “One Pill Kills” campaign.
“Fentanyl is killing innocent Texans, with well over a thousand lives lost from communities across our state due to the pervasiveness of deadly synthetic opioids,” said Governor Abbott. “This clandestine killer is produced and distributed by Mexican drug cartels, which cunningly disguise fentanyl to look like legitimate prescription medications, and even candy to appeal to children.”
Governor Abbott issued an executive order last month designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations and instructing DPS to take immediate action to keep Texans safe amid the growing fentanyl crisis. The Governor also sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris requesting federal terrorist classifications for the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as well as other cartels producing and distributing deadly fentanyl.
