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 355,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 25,000 criminal arrests, with more than 23,000 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 366 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
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 Marks Two Year Anniversary Of Historic Operation Lone Star
Two years ago, Governor Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to combat the escalating border crisis caused by President Biden’s open border policies. With the President continuing to dismiss the chaotic situation he created for both communities along the border and across the state, the State of Texas is taking historic actions to protect Texans from transnational criminal activity and illegal immigration.
Governor Abbott Issues Statement On End Of Biden’s Catch-And-Release Policy
Governor Greg Abbott yesterday issued a statement following a U.S. federal judge’s ruling that the Biden Administration has violated federal law by releasing illegal immigrants en masse at our southern border:
“Yesterday, another federal court announced what Texans—and Americans—have known all along: President Biden’s open border policies are, in the words of Judge Wetherell, ‘akin to posting a flashing Come In We’re Open sign on the southern border.’ President Biden’s catch-and-release agenda, which violates his constitutional duty to enforce federal immigration laws, has catalyzed an unprecedented crisis of illegal immigration at our southern border and throughout our nation. In 2023 alone, this surge of illegal immigration will saddle Texas taxpayers with an estimated financial burden of $13.3 billion.”
Read Governor Abbott’s full statement.
WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Discusses Dangers Of Americans Traveling To Mexico
DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Fox News this week to highlight the violent threats along the southern border, especially for Americans. After four Americans were kidnapped and two of them were murdered by cartel members last week after crossing the border from Brownsville, Texas to Matamoros, Mexico, DPS notes that not only are cartels carrying out cross-border crimes but rival cartels are also fighting among themselves, which creates an extremely violent, unstable situation.
“It’s far too dangerous, and there’s too much crime with the cartels that are operating in Mexico, especially in Matamoros with the Gulf Cartel controlling that entire area,” said Lt. Olivarez. “With spring break coming up, we have a lot of out-of-state visitors traveling to that part of Mexico because the beach is so close. With the violence taking place now within miles of the Texas-Mexico border, it is very dangerous to travel to Mexico.”
