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AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 345,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 24,000 criminal arrests, with more than 21,000 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 356 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused more than 9,100 migrants to our nation's capital since April, over 5,200 migrants to New York City since August 5, more than 1,500 migrants to Chicago since August 31, and more than 890 migrants to Philadelphia since November 15.
Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden 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 Biden's open border policies.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:
WATCH: Governor Abbott Slams President Biden’s Unlawful Parole Program
Governor Abbott spoke with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto yesterday about President Biden intentionally misleading Americans by falsely representing the ongoing border crisis and record levels of illegal immigrants coming across the border from more than 140 countries. The Governor also discussed the Biden Administration’s plan of essentially granting parolee status to 30,000 people a month, which will encourage even more illegal crossings into the country.
“What the Biden Administration is doing is flat-out contrary to federal law,” said Governor Abbott. “Federal law does not allow this mass parolee process—it requires a president, the executive branch, to issue parole on only a case-by-case basis. So, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit to put a stop to this program by the Biden Administration because it is clearly, unequivocally, against the law.”
WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Discusses Dangers Of Gotaways, Human Smuggling
DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo to discuss the staggering number of gotaways into the U.S. and record-level migrant apprehensions at the southern border. Despite the winter months in past years representing a slowdown in illegal border crossings, President Biden’s current border crisis shows no sign of easing and is expected to only get worse in the spring and summer months.
“The gotaways have always been concerning to us, because these are the individuals who have been able to sneak by law enforcement and have made it into the interior, and we don’t know where they are at,” said Lt. Olivarez. “We’ve encountered individuals on ranches who are gang members and those with criminal histories of sex crimes and other violent criminal acts. This border crisis is not slowing down.”
WATCH: Texas National Guard Trains Drone Pilots To Detect, Track Illegal Activity
The Texas National Guard’s drone pilot training course qualifies soldiers to fly drones in an operational capacity. The Texas National Guard utilizes the pilots’ skills to assist law enforcement partners in detecting and tracking illegal activity for Operation Lone Star.
Special Texas National Guard Team Helps Apprehend Over 20 Illegal Immigrants
A specialized Texas National Guard team, known as a flex team, recently assisted with the apprehension of over 20 illegal immigrants in La Joya. The flex team uses assets such as law enforcement helicopters and the trigger system, a thermal system that helps locate individual body signatures to locate illegal immigrants.
“We serve as a reconnaissance team to enable our commander to make better decisions on what we see as traffic patterns, which has shown success,” said U.S. Staff Sgt. Juan Aldana, Bravo company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry. “On average, we have apprehended between 500 to 1,000 migrants a month.”
(PHOTO: Texas Military Department)
WATCH: DPS Led On High-Speed Pursuit, 15 Illegal Immigrants Apprehended
A human smuggler led DPS troopers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit in Hidalgo County. The driver eventually crashed into a ranch fence and bailed out with numerous illegal immigrants, who ran onto the property. DPS aircraft helped apprehend 15 illegal immigrants, all of whom were referred to Border Patrol.
WATCH: Five Illegal Immigrants, Including Child, Found After High-Speed Pursuit
Five illegal immigrants, including a 4-year-old child, were located after a high-speed vehicle pursuit in Kinney County. The human smuggler from Dallas led DPS troopers on the pursuit that reached up to 110 miles per hour before crashing into a ranch property. The driver and passenger bailed out, and DPS aircraft assisted in locating them. They were charged with evading arrest and smuggling of persons. The five illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.
WATCH: DPS Finds Illegal Immigrants Hiding Under Homes After Vehicle Pursuit
DPS troopers conducted brush operations in the Rio Grande Valley this week and along with Texas National Guard soldiers located four illegal immigrants hiding under several houses after a high-speed vehicle pursuit. The driver and passenger were located and arrested for human smuggling.
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