In what could be seen as a critical response to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with state law enforcement, has ramped up border security measures through Operation Texas, a joint initiative between the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard that aims to thwart illegal drug and human smuggling into the state. Governor Abbott's office details the operation’s progress, insisting that it stands as a bulwark against the perceived shortcomings of the federal government's border security efforts, according to the Office of the Texas Governor.
Since the inception of Operation Texas, authorities report having apprehended over 489,500 illegal immigrants and made upwards of 37,500 criminal arrests that bear the weight of more than 34,100 felony charges, a clear signal that the state is taking an aggressive stance on what it deems a dire border situation. Alongside these figures, the Texas DPS has seized over 450 million doses of fentanyl, as per the Office of the Texas Governor.
Further expanding on Operation Texas’s reach, Texas has implemented a controversial busing strategy, transporting a significant number of migrants to various cities across the United States. Over 12,500 migrants have been sent to Washington, D.C.; over 29,300 to New York City; beyond 23,800 to Chicago; upwards of 3,300 to Philadelphia; more than 10,300 to Denver; and a tally of over 1,200 to Los Angeles within timelines stretching back to April 2022 for some destinations, according to the Governor's press statement.
