Gov. Greg Abbott, partnering with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the National Guard, continues to work on Operation Lone Star, according to a press release. The operation has led to over 401,900 illegal immigration apprehensions, 32,400 arrests and 422 million fentanyl doses seized.
"Texas is stepping up to stop criminals and MS-13 gang members at the border," Abbott tweeted. "In President Biden's absence, Texas will continue to hold the line to keep our state — and our nation — safe."
The ongoing Operation Lone Star has yielded some achievements, according to the press release. The illegal immigration apprehensions led to the filing of over 29,600 felony charges. Texas law enforcement officials have also confiscated lethal doses of fentanyl, which is responsible for numerous overdose deaths. Texas has coordinated the transportation of migrants to different cities, with over 10,600 migrants sent to Washington, D.C., 10,900 to New York City, 4,600 to Chicago, 2,100 to Philadelphia, 440 to Denver and 240 to Los Angeles.
Abbott attributes the need for Operation Lone Star to gaps in the Biden administration's border security approach. According to Abbott, the open border policies under Biden's administration have contributed to the infiltration of individuals, drugs and criminal elements into communities across Texas and the nation.
"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," the press release stated. "Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden administration's refusal to secure the border."