Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue their coordinated efforts under Operation Lone Star to secure the border, combat smuggling, and disrupt transnational criminal activity.
Since the launch of the multi-agency initiative, Operation Lone Star has led to over 530,400 apprehensions of illegal immigrants and 49,900 criminal arrests, including more than 42,900 felony charges. Additionally, Texas law enforcement has seized over 620 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to potentially kill the combined populations of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Illegal crossings into Texas have decreased by 87% due to the operation’s border security measures. As part of its migrant transportation program, Texas has relocated over 119,400 migrants to various sanctuary cities since 2022, including:
- 12,500 to Washington, D.C.
- 45,900 to New York City
- 36,900 to Chicago
- 3,400 to Philadelphia
- 19,200 to Denver
- 1,500 to Los Angeles
Last week, Governor Abbott announced that DPS arrested four confirmed members of Tren de Aragua (TdA) as they attempted to illegally cross the border into Texas on New Year’s Eve. One of the arrested TdA gang members bore tattoos on his shoulders, suggesting a rank or leadership position within the organization. Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization originating from Venezuela, is estimated to have over 5,000 members and is known for its extreme violence.
“Earlier this week, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers identified and arrested four vicious TdA gang members attempting to illegally cross the border from Mexico into the state,” said Governor Abbott. “I designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization, and we will not tolerate this gang operating or gaining a foothold in Texas.”
In September, Governor Abbott launched a statewide operation to aggressively target TdA, disrupt their criminal operations, and prevent them from gaining a foothold in Texas. The Governor also designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization, elevated them to a Tier 1 gang, and directed DPS to form a TdA Strike Team to identify and arrest its members.
Governor Abbott emphasized that Operation Lone Star continues to address the gaps left by federal border policies, with every apprehension and drug seizure helping protect communities in Texas and across the nation.
