Operation Lone Star Combats Increased Illegal Activity Along Border

The office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott released an update Friday on Operation Lone Star (OLS), a multi-agency, ongoing effort to secure the border with Mexico and combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas. 

Since the launch of OLS in March of 2021, the combined effort of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers to combat the border crisis, according to the update, “has led to over 414,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 33,200 criminal arrests, with more than 30,100 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 426 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.” 

“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,” stated the press release. 

Busing illegal aliens to sanctuary cities across the nation is also part of Governor Abbott’s effort to protecting Texas during the ongoing border crisis. “We will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities until Biden does his job & secures the border,” Abbott wrote on X. 

The recent death of a young illegal on a bus traveling to the sanctuary city of Chicago got the attention of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who, according to The Dallas Morning News, “responded to a reporter’s question about the child’s death by calling the news ‘horrific’ and offering condolences to the family.”  

The outlet continued: 

Abbott could work with the president on border and immigration issues, but instead has continued to take dangerous and “unlawful” actions, Jean-Pierre said. 

“And it is undermining what we’re trying to do, what the president is trying to do, trying to deal with a … broken system in a humane way, trying to do it in a way that is effective,” Jean-Pierre said. 

Apparently, Jean-Pierre could only attack Abbott’s efforts to secure the border while failing to offer any positive results of President Biden’s border policies. 

The Morning News also related Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris’ response to Jean-Pierre’s comments: 

“This faux outrage from the White House on Texas’ efforts to respond to this Biden-made crisis is hypocritical,” Mahaleris said. “President Biden’s reckless open border policies encourage migrants to make the dangerous and illegal trek across the border, ultimately taking the lives of over 850 migrants last year.” 

Mahaleris said until Biden “does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to respond to this border crisis and help our overwhelmed border communities.” 

The governor’s office stated that Texas has bused: 

• Over 11,000 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022 

• Over 12,000 migrants to New York City since August 2022 

• Over 5,600 migrants to Chicago since August 2022  

• Over 2,300 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022 

• Over 710 migrants to Denver since May 18 

• Over 330 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14 

Another part of Abbott’s efforts to secure the border was his decision to place floating barriers in the Rio Grande, as The New American reported in early June. The floating barriers have faced growing criticism and backlash from Democrats and human-rights advocates.  

The Department of Justice sued Texas and Abbott in July to get the barriers removed, saying it violates federal law and raises humanitarian concerns for migrants crossing into the country from Mexico. A judge will hear arguments on Tuesday.  

In anticipation of this week’s court case, Governor Abbott wrote on X, “Texas to Biden: We will see you at SCOTUS. We filled more than 300 pages in a legal brief explaining — in detail — why Texas can use the floating barriers that we have placed in the Rio Grande River.”  

In Friday’s press release, Abbott’s office shared a “recent poll showing nearly half of Texans support his decision to deploy floating marine barriers in a section of the Rio Grande River to deter and repel illegal crossings.” 

In closing, the OLS update included information covering Mexican drug-cartel activities along the border, high-speed smuggler pursuit incidents, and illegal-drug seizures.  

Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety described the threat of the cartels: 

… Olivarez joined Fox News to discuss Operation Lone Star efforts to curb violent transnational criminal activity. After crossing into the United States, armed cartel members typically scout an area for law enforcement presence to smuggle illicit drugs, high-profile illegal immigrants, cartel members, or suspected terrorists. 

“The Mexican drug cartels pose a significant threat to public safety and national security,” said Lt. Olivarez. “Mexican drug cartels have operational control of the border; they control the flow of human smuggling and drug smuggling into the United States. They’ve been able to enrich themselves by profiting off human and drug smuggling. They are a paramilitary group.” 

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