Texas Claims 87% Drop in Illegal Crossings Amid Border Crackdown

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday that the state’s aggressive border security measures, including Operation Lone Star, have reduced illegal crossings by 87% and resulted in nearly 50,000 criminal arrests since its launch in March 2021. Abbott credited the multi-agency effort for apprehending over 530,600 undocumented migrants and seizing more than 622 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

“Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua,” Abbott said in a statement. “We will not allow this gang to operate or gain a foothold in Texas.” The governor’s office also designated Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, as a foreign terrorist organization and launched a strike team to target its members.

Operation Lone Star, which has cost the state over $11 billion, includes deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, building a state-funded border wall, and transporting 119,400 migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago. Abbott criticized the Biden administration‘s immigration policies, calling for an end to the “catch and release” policy and emphasizing that migrants must enter through legal ports of entry.

Texas has also become the first state to independently construct a border wall, with ongoing projects at strategic points along the border. “Because of these efforts, Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87%,” said Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott. “Texas has held the line against the Biden-Harris border crisis for the past four years.”

The state’s efforts have also targeted transnational criminal activity, including drug and human smuggling. Law enforcement has seized enough fentanyl to kill every person in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada combined, according to Abbott’s office. The governor has vowed to continue working with former President Donald Trump and his incoming administration to strengthen border security.