Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.
Texas National Guard drone teams work around-the-clock to assist Operation Lone Star partners with thermal imaging and GPS capabilities to secure the border. Staff Sergeant Daniel Moya-Rivera, stationed in El Paso, highlights the critical functions that the drones play in locating and apprehending illegal immigrants.
“Well at night there are thermal night vision features, modes to [the drone], that can help us identify if it sees anything moving,” said SSgt. Moya-Rivera. “If we were to see people cutting the [concertina] wire out here, we would grab a radio, and we would notify the ground forces. We provide latitude and longitude coordinates so they can pinpoint the exact location as well.”
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 518,300 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 46,000 criminal arrests, with more than 40,000 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 521 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.
Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 85% due to our historic border security mission. Fewer illegal crossings into Texas means fewer migrants to transport to sanctuary cities. Since the start of Texas’ transportation program, the state has transported:
- Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. 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 created by the Biden-Harris Administration’s refusal to secure the border. 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 and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border policies.