Operation Lone Star: 40,000 Arrests, 35,000 Felony Charges

Operation Lone Star: Texas Rangers Special Operations Group raises Texas flag on "Cartel Island" on October 3, 2023Photo byOffice of Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says "Operation Lone Star" has resulted in "502,500 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 40,100 criminal arrests, with more than 35,900 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 468 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission."

Texas National Guardsmen assigned to "Operation Lone Star" install "anti-climb fence" along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass.Photo byTexas Military Department

Governor Abbott says Texas has also transported:

• Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
• Over 38,600 migrants to New York City since August 2022
• Over 31,800 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
• Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
• Over 16,400 migrants to Denver since May 18
• Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the construction of a "Forward Operating Base" on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on Feb. 16.2024Photo byOffice of Texas Governo Greg Abbott

Last month Texas also announced the construction of a "Forward Operating Base" on the Texas-Mexico border on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass:

"In addition to being able to house 1,800 troops. Forward Operating Base Eagle will also have surge capability of taking on 500 additional troops should we need to deploy the Texas Tactical Border Force to this area. Under Governor Abbott's leadership, we are deploying every available resource and strategy to protect and defend Texas.," - Texas National Guard Major General Thomas Suelzer

Governor Abbott has taken action to secure the border in the wake of the federal government’s inaction, including:

• Securing over $11 billion in funding for Texas’ border security efforts
• Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers
• Installing new floating marine barriers to deter illegal crossings in hotspots along the Rio Grande River
• Deploying the new Texas Tactical Border Force for targeted responses to intercept and repel illegal crossings at hotspots along the border
• Hiring Texas' first-ever Border Czar
• Taking aggressive action to aid border communities, including transporting thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles
• Designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations to keep Texans safe amid the growing national fentanyl crisis
• Arresting and jailing criminals trespassing or committing other state crimes along the southern border
• Issuing an executive order authorizing the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to return illegal immigrants to the border at ports of entry
• Allocating resources to acquire 1,700 unused steel panels to build the border wall in Texas
• Signing new laws to:
• • Expand the authority and training of border personnel
  • Make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas
  • Crackdown on human trafficking
  • Enhance penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl
  • Compensate landowners for property damage related to border crimes
  • Make it a state criminal offense for illegal entry from a foreign nation
• Activating the Joint Border Security Operations Center (JBSOC) and directing the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department, and Texas Division of Emergency Management to coordinate Texas’ response to secure the border
• Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis

Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott at a Texas National Guard Command Post on the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass.Photo byTexas "Border Czar" Mike Banks

Governor Abbott's actions also come as former President Donald Trump visited the Texas Border for a briefing on the impact of the "Operation Lone Star" state border security mission there:

“I thank President Trump for coming to Texas, literally on the border itself, to see Texas’ unprecedented border security efforts himself. Unless and until President Biden steps up and does the job that he has the power to do already, Texas will continue to secure the border to protect and defend America from his disastrous border crisis." - Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Feb. 29, 2024)

Sean Hannity, Donald Trump, and Texas Governor Greg Abbot in Eagle Pass.Photo byOffice of Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Do you believe the Texas-Mexico border is secure?

Submit your opinions in the comments to this article.

For more stories like this "Follow Me" on the Newsbreak App and "Like" this article to stay updated on Texas border issues regularly covered by Jack Beavers like these:

• Did Texas General Cross Line at Trump Event?
• "Biden has blood on his hands," Abbott says
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• 500,000 Illegal Immigrants Nabbed by Texas Border Operation
• Texas "Won't Back Down" After Biden Immigration Law Ruling

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