Operation Lone Star increases illegal entry of large groups

Texas Border Business

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; Stop drug, gun and human smuggling into Texas. and prevent, detect and disrupt transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.

Since Operation Lone Star began, the multi-agency effort has resulted in more than 523,100 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 47,800 felony arrests and more than 41,300 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 551 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico combined in this border operation.

Thanks to our historic border security mission, Texas has reduced illegal border crossings into the state by over 86%. Fewer illegal border crossings into Texas mean fewer migrants needing to be transported to sanctuary cities. Since the Texas transportation program began, the state has transported:

• Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, DC since April 2022
• Over 45,900 migrants to New York City since August 2022
• Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
• Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
• Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
• Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the federal government’s refusal to secure the border. Every person arrested or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would otherwise end up in communities across Texas and the country because of the open borders policy.

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CURRENT OPERATION LONE STAR HIGHLIGHTS:

Last night at the South Texas Property Rights Association (STPRA) annual meeting in Corpus Christi, Governor Abbott highlighted Texas’ unprecedented border security mission and comprehensive, nationwide operation to combat the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).

“For nearly two decades, the South Texas Property Rights Association has fought to ensure our border with Mexico is safe and secure,” said Governor Abbott. “Our last fight was against Tren de Aragua. That’s why last month I directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a statewide operation directly against Tren de Aragua to deter and disrupt their criminal activities. Texas law enforcement has already begun arresting known and suspected Tren de Aragua members.”

Read more here.

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Yesterday, Governor Abbott shared a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, of construction workers installing border wall panels in Maverick County.

Texas will continue to put Americans’ safety first and fill the federal government’s gap.

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Recently, DPS troopers arrested a member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Houston who was attempting to recruit additional members to the treasonous gang.

Gov. Abbott last month designated TdA a foreign terrorist organization and directed DPS to elevate it to a Level 1 gang and form a TdA task force to identify and arrest TdA gang members.

Texas will continue to disrupt TdA’s criminal activities and deny them access to the state.

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Over the weekend, Governor Abbott provided an update on Texas’ border security efforts to combat the border crisis created by the federal government.

Texas is committed to securing our border and protecting our communities – and our nation.

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On Wednesday, 17-year-old human smuggler Alejandro Balderrama Jr. of Mission, driving a Pontiac G6, led DPS troopers on a high-speed pursuit in Hidalgo County. The driver ran several red lights and eventually lost control of the vehicle. After crashing into a light pole, Balderrama jumped out and ran towards several residential yards. He was soon found hiding in a horse stable, trying to hide in a cardboard box.

Two illegal immigrants from Mexico also exited the vehicle along with Balderrama and were arrested by DPS Brush Team officers. Six other illegal immigrants from Mexico remained in the vehicle.

Balderrama was charged with human smuggling creating a risk of serious bodily harm or death and evading arrest. All eight illegal immigrants were referred to the Border Patrol.

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On Tuesday, a human smuggler in a Chevy Malibu led DPS troopers on a high-speed chase in Webb County. During the pursuit, smuggler Guillermo Osto Navarette, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, ignored several stop signs and crashed into a DPS special agent’s vehicle. While exiting the vehicle, Navarette resisted arrest and assaulted a Border Patrol agent.

DPS troopers arrested Navarette and charged him with three counts of human smuggling, evading arrest and assault on a peace officer. Three illegal immigrants, also from Mexico, who were smuggled in the vehicle were referred to Border Patrol.

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DPS intercepts over 500 illegal aliens in Maverick County

This week, DPS troopers stopped several large groups totaling over 500 illegal immigrants in Maverick County. Among them were 39 illegal immigrants from special interest countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Iran, the Republic of Mali and Turkey.

Over 100 unaccompanied children were also rescued from these groups.

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Texas and Indiana Army National Guard soldiers block illegal border crossings

Earlier this week, Texas Guard Soldiers assigned to Task Force West Echo Company worked with Indiana Army National Guard Soldiers to block immigrants attempting to cross illegally from Mexico into Texas this week.

Advanced optical sensors detected a small group from a distance and soldiers responded. The first of the would-be crossers reached the three-strand barbed wire blocking access to the Texas bank of the Rio Grande. The illegal immigrant discovered the soldiers and returned to Mexico.

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Texas National Guard soldiers help arrest illegal immigrants

Earlier this week, Texas National Guard soldiers on a search and identification mission with an M2S2 thwarted an illegal crossing attempt by a large group near the Blue Bridge and Texas-Mexico-New Mexico highways.

An M2S2 spotted six males in the bushes along the river near the bridge. Drones maneuvered to immediately resume observation of the illegal immigrants entering the water. As the location of illegal immigrants was determined, Texas National Guard rovers were sent to the location and returned eight people, and police officers arrested two more people.

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Joint Task Force Lone Star continues to secure the border

In Task Force West near Sanderson this week, a drone team spotted a group of illegal immigrants attempting to evade capture by law enforcement.

The sUAS team monitored the group while Texas National Guard ground units and law enforcement partners stopped the group. Five illegal migrants were arrested by law enforcement authorities.

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Texas National Guard Soldiers continue to fortify Shelby Park

This week, the Texas National Guard, in coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, continued the installation of shipping containers throughout the Turtle Creek area of ​​Shelby Park to further secure the border.

The 10 shipping containers added hundreds of meters of additional barriers to deter and deter illegal river crossings.