Texas Governor Greg Abbott, alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard, continues to collaborate with the Trump Administration on border security efforts. The joint initiative aims to prevent smuggling activities and transnational criminal operations between ports of entry.
Operation Lone Star, a multi-agency effort, has resulted in over 530,800 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 50,470 criminal arrests. The operation has also led to the seizure of over 623 million lethal doses of fentanyl. This border mission is part of an effort to decrease illegal crossings into Texas by 87%, thereby reducing migrant transport to sanctuary cities.
Governor Abbott stated that "Texas has a partner in the White House we can work with to secure the Texas-Mexico border." He recently deployed the Texas Tactical Border Force to coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol agents in securing the border. Additionally, tactical strike teams have been directed by Abbott to support homeland security operations aimed at locating and arresting criminal illegal immigrants within Texas.
Abbott also issued five Executive Orders for state agencies to assist federal immigration officers and support other federal initiatives related to border security. These orders include directives for repelling invasions, deploying additional border barriers, sharing intelligence on foreign terrorist organizations, and identifying land for detention facilities.
In media appearances and public statements, Governor Abbott expressed appreciation for President Trump's leadership on these issues: "I thank President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership on the southern border."
Recent operations by DPS have included significant actions such as discovering 16 illegal immigrants inside a semi-trailer in Webb County and arresting human smugglers involved in deadly incidents. Furthermore, two fugitives from Texas’ Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List were captured last week.
The Texas National Guard continues its involvement in securing low-water crossings along the Rio Grande River as part of Operation Lone Star's objectives.
