As Texas marks a year under the stern watch of its self-appointed Border Czar, Governor Greg Abbott alongside state law enforcement continues their contentious fight against what they depict as an unchecked flow of illicit entries and substances at the U.S.-Mexico stretch. Credited for an operation criticized by some and championed by others, the figures provided by the Governor's office point to a heavy hand in dealing with migration and cross-border crime.
Abbott's initiative, dubbed Operation Lone Star, while celebrated by supporters for its supposed efficacy, has seen the state's Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard band together to barricade the border against not just humans yearning for a chance at the American Dream, but also against traffickers smuggling drugs and weapons. A data release by the Governor's office, which some argue paints the migrants as nothing more than a list of numbers, has resulted in the apprehension of 497,600 undocumented immigrants and around 39,000 criminal arrests, noted for having racked up more than 35,200 felony charges. According to the Governor's website, the operation has also intercepted a staggering 458 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
Biden's border crisis is the #1 issue in America.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 3, 2024
Under Biden's open border policies, every state in our nation is a border state.
Texas will continue to step up to protect our state and our country in his absence.https://t.co/asF3oUszkH
The operation hasn't stopped at apprehending and arresting; it has taken a further step towards what the Governor's office symbolizes as an act of defiance against the Biden Administration's policies. Texas has taken it upon itself to distribute migrants throughout prominent sanctuary cities across the United States, shipping over 12,500 to Washington, D.C., more than 37,600 to New York City, 31,300 to Chicago, 3,400 to Philadelphia, 16,100 to Denver, and sending 1,500 to Los Angeles, as stated on their website.
Not without its deterrents, this stringent border policy comes on the heels of strong criticism from immigrant advocates and some lawmakers arguing that it amplifies hardships for migrant families seeking refuge, rather than addressing the root causes of migration. Despite the controversy, the Texas government purports that each migrant apprehended, and each ounce of drugs seized under Operation Lone Star, would have otherwise permeated into towns and cities across Texas and the nation. They see this as a direct consequence of what the Texas leadership deems President Joe Biden's failure to secure the border, conveyed in a message by the Governor's press release.
