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 494,400 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 38,100 criminal arrests, with more than 34,600 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 453 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 35,600 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 29,400 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 15,000 migrants to Denver since May 18
- Over 1,400 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 Issues Statement On NYC Lawsuit Targeting Migrant Buses
Yesterday, Governor Abbott issued a statement following New York City Mayor Eric Adams announcing a lawsuit against bus companies participating in Texas’ migrant transportation mission.
“This lawsuit is baseless and deserves to be sanctioned. It’s clear that Mayor Adams knows nothing about the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, or about the constitutional right to travel that has been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court. Every migrant bused or flown to New York City did so voluntarily, after having been authorized by the Biden Administration to remain in the United States. As such, they have constitutional authority to travel across the country that Mayor Adams is interfering with. If the Mayor persists in this lawsuit, he may be held legally accountable for his violations.”
WATCH: Governor Abbott: Mayor Adams’ Migrant Bus Lawsuit Is Baseless
Governor Abbott joined Newsmax yesterday to discuss New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ baseless lawsuit targeting Texas’ migrant transportation program.
“I’m a former Texas Supreme Court justice and former Texas attorney general—I know the law, and Eric Adams does not know the law,” said Governor Abbott. “The Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, as well as a United States Supreme Court recognized doctrine of the right to travel, means that once the Biden Administration authorizes these migrants to be in the United States they have the constitutional right to travel to New York City. So what Eric Adams is doing is following a baseless lawsuit denying these migrants of their right to travel to New York City. He’s going to lose and lose badly, and I hope he’s forced to pay attorney’s fees.”
WATCH: Governor Abbott: Biden Should Secure Our Border Instead Of Suing Texas
On Thursday, Governor Abbott joined Stuart Varney on Fox Business to respond to the latest lawsuit from the Biden Administration against Texas’ Senate Bill 4 to stop illegal entry from a foreign nation.
“If the Biden Administration would put that time into securing the border, as opposed to stopping Texas from securing the border, we wouldn’t have a problem,” said Governor Abbott. “[Because President Biden] refused to secure the border, Texas has and we will continue to erect barriers, repel migrants, [and] bus and fly migrants to New York, Chicago, and other places like that.”
WATCH: Governor Abbott: There Would Be No Border Crisis If Biden Enforced Laws
Governor Abbott joined Fox News this week to push back on complaints by New York City officials claiming they cannot handle the influx of migrants coming into their sanctuary city.
“We have more people coming across our border every single day than what New York [City] gets in a week or month,” said Governor Abbott. “It’s outrageous that they’re saying that they cannot deal with this. There’s only one reason why this is happening: Joe Biden has eliminated all of the four policies that Donald Trump put in place that led to the lowest illegal border crossings in 40 years. If the Biden Administration was enforcing the immigration laws passed by Congress, the Mayor of New York and the leaders of New Jersey and Chicago would not be having these problems.”
