Operation Lone Star
Texas National Guard members during Operation Lone Star
DateMarch 6, 2021 – present (2021-03-06 – present)
LocationMexico–Texas border
TargetIllegal immigration to the United States
Illegal drug trade
Human smuggling
Budget$2 billion per year
ParticipantsTexas Military Department
Texas Department of Public Safety
Outcome453 million doses of fentanyl seized
97,300 migrants bused to sanctuary cities
Texas's buoy barrier ruled unlawful
Deaths10 National Guard members[1]
Arrests494,400 migrant apprehensions
38,100 criminal arrests
Charges34,600 felony charges[2]

Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the southern border between Texas and Mexico, which started in 2021 and is currently ongoing. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the operation is intended to counter a rise in illegal immigration, the illegal drug trade, and human smuggling.[3] Between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, migrant apprehensions had risen 278% along the US-Mexico border.[4] As of April 2022, OLS was spending approximately $2.5 million per week and was expected to cost approximately $2 billion per year.[5] Approximately 10,000 National Guard members were deployed in support of OLS at the height of the operation, with around 6,000 deployed as of November 2022.[6] According to the governor's office, OLS has resulted in 494,400 migrant apprehensions, 34,600 criminal arrests (including 34,600 felony charges), and 453 million doses of fentanyl seized.[2][7][8] One year after the start of Operation Lone Star, Texas saw a 9% increase in migrant encounters along its border with Mexico, compared to a 62% increase in Arizona, California, and New Mexico along their respective borders with Mexico.[9]

OLS has drawn criticism from the federal government, state officials, and migrant advocates for its treatment of migrants, including the withholding of water and orders to push migrants back into the Rio Grande.[10] Migrants have had a more difficult time crossing areas of the Rio Grande due to razor wire set up by OLS, leading to some migrants becoming injured and/or captured in the wire. Texas Air National Guard members deployed in support of OLS have also criticized the operation's planning and execution, with nearly 30% of 250 participants in a 2022 Air National Guard survey reporting frustration with the operation's length, haste, and involuntary nature.[11]

According to the governor, 97,300 migrants were voluntarily bused to sanctuary cities across the United States as of January 2024.[2] A few migrants were also flown directly to these cities.[12] This has resulted in migrant crises in cities like New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. as local resources are stretched thin to handle the new arrivals.[13][14] Abbot has mocked the leaders of these cities for saying that they welcome immigrants and said his busing program was a response to the Biden administration's policies on immigration, which he blames for allowing migrants to overwhelm border towns.[12][15] Local officials in the sanctuary cities have criticized the busing program and responded by requesting federal assistance, fining charter bus companies carrying migrants, and sending migrants to other cities.[15][16][15][13][17]

Background and causes

Starting with "Operation Linebacker" by former Governor Rick Perry, the State of Texas has been launching border security operations with increasing escalation since 2005.[5] These operations were limited in scope due to the exclusive authority of federal immigration agents to deport migrants.[9] Operation Lone Star was launched in 2021 to respond to the surge in border crossings, which Governor Abbott attributed to the Biden Administration's policies on immigration. In fiscal year 2021, enforcement actions by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including detentions and arrests of migrants, rose to over 1.9 million, a 202% increase from fiscal year 2020. Meanwhile, a 278% increase in migrant encounters was seen at the southwest border from fiscal year 2020 to 2021, which continued rising into 2022.[4] Operation Lone Star differed from previous border operations due to the authority granted to state law enforcement officials to arrest migrants in border counties for offenses such as criminal trespassing and human smuggling.[9]

OLS efforts to empower local law enforcement to act against undocumented migrants have been complicated by the traditional delegation of immigration enforcement powers to federal officials. In Arizona v. United States, the Supreme Court overturned an Arizona law penalizing illegal immigration at a state level.[18][19]

Timeline

Developments in Operation Lone Star
Date Notable Event
March 06, 2021 Operation Lone Star is launched[3]
May 31, 2021 Greg Abbott declares disaster via Proclamation[20]
June 16, 2021 Greg Abbott announces border wall construction strategy[21]
December 18, 2021 First section of border wall completed in Rio Grande City[22]
March 14, 2022 Major General Tracy Norris is relieved of command[23]
April 06, 2022 Bus and flight of immigrants to sanctuary city Washington, D.C., begin[24]
July 07, 2022 Greg Abbott declares invasion via Executive Order GA-41[25]
September 21, 2022 Greg Abbott designates Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations via Executive Order GA-42[26]
November 18, 2022 M113 armored personnel carriers are deployed[27]
February 03, 2023 Greg Abbott establishes Texas Border Czar position, appoints Mike Banks[28]
May 08, 2023 Greg Abbott establishes and deploys Texas Tactical Border Force[29][30]
December 18, 2023 Greg Abbott signs a bill making illegal immigration a state crime, allowing Texas law enforcement to arrest undocumented migrants anywhere in the state. It also permits state courts to issue removal orders to send arrested migrants back across the Mexican border.[18]
Jan 11, 2024 Greg Abbott executes emergency declaration ordering Texas Military Forces to seize control of 47-acre Shelby Park in Eagle Pass from United States Border Patrol agents.[31]

Reactions

Public

As of June 2023, polling from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin indicated that 59% of Texans backed the increased law enforcement deployments and border spending.[32][33]

The mission faced public criticism, including from state officials, following reports of pay delays, poor working and living conditions, a lack of proper equipment and facilities, and multiple suicides and suicide attempts among service members.[8][34] According to reporting in the Army Times, soldiers were being housed in what it describes as cramped quarters, in converted recreational vehicles and semi-truck trailers, and also faced shortages in cold weather uniforms, medical equipment, and portable toilets.[8] According to the Houston Chronicle, this was further compounded when it coincided with state cuts in educational benefits for service members to address budget shortfalls, reducing available tuition assistance by more than half.[35]

On January 13, 2022, a state district court judge in Travis County, Texas, granted Jesus Alberto Guzman Curipoma, of Ecuador, a writ of habeas corpus, ruling that the state program violated the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution.[36] On February 25, 2022, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin affirmed the decision of the lower court.[37]

Federal government

Construction of the Rio Grande barriers by OLS

In July 2022, the United States Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation of OLS.[38] According to a Texas Department of Public Safety email obtained by the Texas Tribune, the investigation is focused on reviewing whether OLS violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by programs that receive federal funds.

On July 24, 2023, the DOJ filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Texas alleging that the construction of floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass by OLS without permission violated the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.[39] In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said that the barriers pose a hazard to navigation and public safety, present humanitarian concerns, and have sparked diplomatic protests by Mexico. In response, Texas argued that the area of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass does not fall under the Act and that the floating barriers are not a "structure" subject to the Act's requirements. Texas also argued that the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which allows states to engage in war if invaded, allows Texas to build the barriers due to Governor Abbott's invasion declaration.[40] On September 6, the district court granted the DOJ's motion for a preliminary injunction and ordered Texas to move the barrier to the bank of the river and cease the installation of any new barriers.[41] In response, Texas appealed the order to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which issued an order on December 1 affirming the injunction.[42] The court also found that Texas has not offered concrete evidence that the barrier has saved lives or reduced illegal migration. Governor Abbott issued a statement saying that Texas will seek rehearing from the full Fifth Circuit and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court if the injunction is not lifted.

Federal border patrol agents have cut and destroyed razor wire deployed by Texas as part of Operation Lone Star, but were halted from doing so except to provide emergency medical aid by a temporary injunction issued by a judge in the Western District of Texas on October 30, 2023.[43] On November 30, the court withdrew the injunction, allowing the Border Patrol to resume cutting the wire pending a trial in the case.[44] Texas has appealed the ruling.

In January 2024, the Texas National Guard seized control of a park near Eagle Pass. Federal border patrol agents were blocked from accessing the park, resulting in a Justice Department appeal to the Supreme Court to intervene on their behalf.[45]

Other states

On May 16, 2023, Abbott requested assistance from other state governors through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.[46] As of June 2023, 14 states have sent national guard and law enforcement officers to Texas in response, with Florida providing the most additional personnel.[47]

Results

As of January 2024, OLS has resulted in 494,400 migrant apprehensions, 34,600 criminal arrests (including 34,600 felony charges), and 453 million doses of fentanyl seized according to the governor's office.

However, a March 2022 investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, and the Marshall Project found that the Texas Department of Public Safety had counted over 2,000 arrests with no link to OLS or border security towards OLS's total.[48] While those arrests were later removed following questioning from reporters, the report also found that DPS continues to include arrests in its OLS database with no clear link to the operation's stated goals.

The costs of the operation have resulted in funding being transferred from other Texas government agency budgets, particularly the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates state prisons. Reimbursement for the costs have partly been filled by using federal COVID aid.[9]

Texas has seen slower rates of increases in migrant encounters than neighboring states since the start of OLS. One year after inception, Texas saw a 9% increase in encounters, compared to a 62% increase in encounters in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, three other states bordering Mexico.[9]

Migrant crisis in sanctuary cities

As part of Operation Lone Star, Texas set up a program to voluntarily send migrants to sanctuary cities in other states, typically through busing.[49][12] Abbot has stated that the purpose of the migrant busing program was to provide Texan border towns with relief from migrant arrivals and to bring the costs of the border crisis to Democratic cities that had been dismissing it.[50][51][15] The buses provide free rides and food for migrants, many of whom have expressed gratitude at being able to ride closer to their preferred destinations.[52][49] The state reported sending 97,300 migrants to cities outside of Texas,[2] contributing to the New York City migrant housing crisis and other crises in cities such as Chicago, Denver, and Washington D.C.[13][16] Officials in these cities have responded to the drop-off of migrants by deploying emergency measures and calling states of emergencies.[53][15] Some Democratic-led cities, such as Denver and New York City, have also responded by giving migrants free bus and plane rides to other cities.[17]

To carry out the busing program, charter bus companies transport the migrants at a cost of about $1,650 per migrant, with funding coming from both the Texas legislature and private donors. A few hundred migrants have also been flown from Texas to sanctuary cities.[16] Local officials in the sanctuary cities have attempted to crack down on the busing programs via fines and ordinances targeting the charter bus companies. New York City in particular has filed a lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies responsible for migrant transportation.[54][16]

Officials in areas dealing with migrant surges have called on the Biden administration to change immigration policies. They have also requested federal aid to fund their responses to the migrant influx and reimburse costs.[50] Washington, D.C. in particular has requested the deployment of the D.C. National Guard to assist in the migrant crisis, but has been turned down.[55]

Republican officials have expressed approval of the OLS busing program for giving the migrant crisis national attention.[50] Democratic officials' reactions have changed as migrant influxes grew over time. In 2022, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was "nice the State of Texas is helping [migrants] get to their final destination", while in 2023, the White House and other Democrats called the busing program a "political stunt".[49][51] Other states and cities, both Democratic and Republican, as well as local charities, have followed Texas in organizing busing operations to move migrants to the rest of the country.[15][17][56]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide". Texas Tribune. October 4, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Operation Lone Star Ramps Up Historic Response To Biden's Border Crisis". texas.gov. January 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Aguilar, Julián (March 9, 2021). "As migrant apprehensions rise, Abbott slams Biden immigration policies in border appearance". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "What is Operation Lone Star? Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial border mission, explained". Texas Tribune. March 30, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Kriel, Lomi (April 18, 2022). "Texas has spent billions of dollars on border security. But what taxpayers got in return is a mystery". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Southwest border mission spurs 'mixed feelings' among guardsmen". Reserve & National Guard Magazine. February 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ Cuellar, Carolina (December 3, 2021). "Operation Lone Star continues indefinitely while the Texas Military Department expands border wall". KERA News. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Winkie, Davis (January 4, 2022). "Another Operation Lone Star soldier dies amid morale crisis". Army Times. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "2 Years and $4B Later, What We Know About Operation Lone Star". Governing. January 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (July 18, 2023). "Texas trooper alleges inhumane treatment of migrants by state officials along southern border". CBS News. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ Winkie, Davis; Barragán, James; Essig, Chris; Cohen, Rachel S. (February 24, 2022). "Troops slam Operation Lone Star in leaked survey". Army Times. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "Texas flies over 120 immigrants to Chicago in expansion of Gov. Greg Abbott's busing plan". Texas Tribune. December 20, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 "Democratic mayors renew pleas for federal help and coordination with Texas over migrant crisis". Associated press. December 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "D.C. still struggling to manage growing migrant crisis". Axios. September 7, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How Texas Gov. Greg Abbott divided Democrats on immigration with migrant busing". NBC News. December 17, 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Chicago migrant crisis: Texas bus companies may be making millions transporting new arrivals". ABC7. December 28, 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 "Democratic-led cities pay for migrants' tickets to other places as resources dwindle". Associated Press. November 19, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill making illegal immigration a state crime". Texas Tribune. December 18, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Texas governor's move sets up showdown with feds over border". The Hill. December 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Abbott, Greg (May 31, 2022). "Proclamation by the Governor of the State of Texas" (PDF). Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  21. ↑ Abbott, Greg (June 16, 2021). "Governor Abbott Announces Border Wall Construction Strategy". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  22. ↑ Abbott, Greg (December 18, 2021). "Governor Abbott Debuts Texas Border Wall In Rio Grande City". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ BARRAGÁN, JAMES (March 14, 2022). "Gov. Greg Abbott replaces Texas military leader who has overseen heavily criticized border mission". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Governor Abbott Takes Aggressive Action To Secure The Border As President Biden Ends Title 42 Expulsions". Office of the Texas Governor. April 6, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  25. ↑ Abbott, Greg (July 7, 2022). "Executive Order GA 41" (PDF). Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  26. ↑ Abbott, Greg (September 21, 2022). "Governor Abbott Designates Mexican Cartels As Terrorist Organizations". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ Winkie, Davis (November 18, 2022). "Texas Guard to send tank-like military vehicles to the border". Army Times. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  28. ↑ Abbott, Greg (February 3, 2023). "New Texas Border Czar Joins Operation Lone Star Mission". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  29. ↑ Cook, Ellie (May 9, 2023). "How Greg Abbott's 'Elite' Texas Tactical Border Force Will Stop Migrants". Newsweek. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  30. ↑ Abbott, Greg (May 8, 2023). "Governor Abbott Deploys New Texas Tactical Border Force". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  31. ↑ Garcia, Uriel (January 11, 2024). "Texas officers take "full control" of Eagle Pass park against city's wishes". The Texas Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ↑ "Gov. Abbott's Policing of Texas Border Pushes Limits of State Power". The New York Times. July 26, 2023.
  33. ↑ "New University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll finds little confidence in the legislature's efforts to address key issues". utexas.edu. June 22, 2023.
  34. ↑ Barragan, James (January 7, 2022). "Texas lawmakers deplore mistreatment of National Guardsmen sent to border duty". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  35. ↑ Scherer, Jasper (January 6, 2022). "Texas National Guard struggles to pay soldiers, while slashing tuition help by more than half". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  36. ↑ Plohetski, Tony; Hall, Katie (January 13, 2022). "Gov. Abbott's border crackdown Operation Lone Star violates U.S. Constitution, Travis County judge says". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  37. ↑ State of Texas v. Curipoma, No. 03-22-00032CR (Tex. App.--Austin, February 25, 2022) (Retrieved March 23, 2025).
  38. ↑ Trevizo, Perla (July 6, 2022). "Justice Department is investigating Texas' Operation Lone Star for alleged civil rights violations". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  39. ↑ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (July 24, 2023). "Biden administration sues Texas over floating border barriers used to repel migrants". CBS News. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Response in Opposition to Motion – #26 in United States v. Abbott (W.D. Tex., 1:23-cv-00853) – CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  41. ↑ Melhado, William; García, Uriel J. (September 6, 2023). "Federal judge orders Texas to remove floating border barrier. Abbott immediately appeals the ruling". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  42. ↑ Vu, Kevin (December 1, 2023). "Texas must remove floating barrier from Rio Grande, Fifth Circuit Court orders". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Judge orders federal agents to stop cutting Texas razor wire for now at busy Mexico border crossing". The Associated Press. October 30, 2023.
  44. ↑ Thayer, Rose L. (November 30, 2023). "Border Patrol agents can resume cutting wire barrier placed at Texas border by Guard troops". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Feds ask Supreme Court to intervene after Texas governor seizes Eagle Pass park". San Antonio Current. January 12, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Governor Abbott Urges Nation's Governors To Help Combat Border Crisis". texas.go. May 16, 2023.
  47. ↑ Hinojosa, Alex (June 8, 2023). "Republican states send national guard troops to Texas border in show of force". The Guardian.
  48. ↑ Kriel, Lomi; Trevizo, Perla; Calderón, Andrew Rodriguez; Blakinger, Keri (March 21, 2022). "Texas' Governor Brags About His Border Initiative. The Data Doesn't Back Him Up". ProPublica. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  49. 1 2 3 "Texas' Busing of Migrants to D.C. Isn't Having Abbott's Intended Effect Yet". The New York Times. April 26, 2022.
  50. 1 2 3 "G.O.P. Gets the Democratic Border Crisis It Wanted". The New York Times. September 8, 2023.
  51. 1 2 "Chicago mayor slams Texas Gov. Abbott as 'reckless' after migrant bus arrivals". The Hill. December 27, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Inside Migrants' Journeys on Greg Abbott's Free Buses to Washington". Time Magazine. September 12, 2022.
  53. ↑ "G.O.P. Governors Cause Havoc by Busing Migrants to East Coast". The New York Times. August 4, 2022.
  54. ↑ "NYC sues 17 charter bus companies for $700 million over transporting asylum seekers to the city from Texas". CNN. January 5, 2024.
  55. ↑ "Feds deny Bowser's request for National Guard to help with Texas migrants". The Washington Post. August 5, 2022.
  56. ↑ "Busing migrants was a partisan lightning rod. Here's why Democrats have embraced it". NPR. February 6, 2023.
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