Gov. Greg Abbott released several highlights to show how Operation Lone Star has been faring in efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
The governor launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to combat unlawful migration into the United States from the southern border, as well as the smuggling of illicit drugs and weapons. Abbott recently announced some achievements of the far-reaching initiative, which has been conducted with help from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard.
Abbott first pointed to the busing endeavor, which has seen more than 50,000 unlawful migrants transported to major U.S. cities across the country in a bid to reduce pressure on Texas border towns and raise awareness of the crisis.
New York City has received the most unlawful migrants — roughly 25,900 — since the initiative began in April of last year. More than 21,100 were sent to Chicago, and 12,500 were sent to Washington, D.C. Denver, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles received over 7,800, 3,200, and 1,100 unlawful migrants, respectively.
Other highlights pointed out by Abbott included the progress made in the construction of a border wall in Maverick County, the arrest of a smuggler from Illinois who allegedly led authorities in a high-speed pursuit in Kinney County with four unlawful migrants and a 7-year-old in his vehicle on Black Friday, and the seizure of 800 pounds of narcotics over a 10-day period at the border.
As covered by The Dallas Express, Operation Lone Star has generated controversy in its use of certain tactics, including floating buoys and barbed wire. Some lawmakers, such as Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), have been reluctant to fund the initiative and have been outspoken against the construction of a wall.
The Department of Homeland Security has been building many new sections of the border wall to address the historic surge of unlawful migration, as reported by The Dallas Express. The Biden administration announced it would waive federal laws to expedite construction, hinting at a changing tide in a more bipartisan effort to stem the flood of illegal entries.
Still, the Biden administration has drawn considerable criticism for its management of the border crisis.
“There are no consequences from the federal government to prevent illegal border crossings,” said DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez, according to the press release.
“As long as the federal government continues to incentivize and reward illegal immigration, we’re going to continue seeing these large caravans, these trains that are being used to transport these migrants further to the border to their entrance through Texas or Arizona — and those are the challenges we’re having to face as a state.”