Back "Tək Ulduz" əməliyyatı Azerbaijani Аперацыя «Адзінокая зорка» Byelorussian Operación Estrella Solitaria Spanish Operation Lone Star Italian Операция «Одинокая звезда» Russian Operation Lone Star Swedish 孤星行动 WUU 孤星行动 Chinese

Operation Lone Star

Operation Lone Star
Part of the Mexico–United States border crisis
Texas National Guard members during Operation Lone Star
DateMarch 6, 2021 – present (2021-03-06 – present)
(3 years, 8 months and 5 days)
LocationTexas portion of the Mexico–United States border
TargetIllegal immigration to the United States
Illegal drug trade
Human smuggling
Budget$10 billion as of January 2024[1]
Participants Texas
Texas Military Department
Texas Department of Public Safety
Outcome489 million doses of fentanyl seized
119,200 migrants bused to sanctuary cities
Deaths10 National Guard members[2]
74 dead in pursuits in OLS counties, including 7 bystanders[3]
Non-fatal injuries189 injured in pursuits in OLS counties[3]
Arrests513,700 migrant apprehensions
44,000 criminal arrests
Charges38,600 felony charges[4]

Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the United States–Mexico border in southern Texas. The operation started in 2021 and is 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.[5] Between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, migrant apprehensions had risen 278% along the US–Mexico border.[6] According to the governor's office, OLS has resulted in 513,700 migrant apprehensions, 44,000 criminal arrests (including 38,600 felony charges), and 489 million doses of fentanyl seized.[4][7][8] As of April 2022, OLS was spending approximately $2.5 million per week and was expected to cost approximately $2 billion per year.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] As of June 2024, the Department of Public Safety has estimated a 74% drop in illegal border crossings since the start of OLS.[12]

OLS has drawn support from Republican Party state governors. The Eagle Pass park standoff that occurred between Texas and the Biden administration due to the policies of OLS received support from 25 other Republican state governors (every Republican governor but Vermont's Phil Scott). OLS has drawn criticism from the federal government under Joe Biden, Democratic Party 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.[13] 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. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized high speed pursuits in counties implementing OLS, which it attributed to causing 74 deaths.[3] Texas officials and national guard members have also voiced concerns about hardships sustained during deployment in support of OLS.[8][14]

According to the governor, 119,200 migrants were voluntarily bused to sanctuary cities across the United States as of June 2024.[4] A few migrants were also flown directly to these cities.[15] 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.[16][17] 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.[18][19][16][20]

In January 2024, Texas officials seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, which was frequently used by United States Border Patrol to process new migrant arrivals. Border patrol agents were generally prohibited from the park, except to access a boat ramp in the park after three migrants drowned nearby while crossing the Rio Grande. This led to a standoff between federal and state officials. The Biden administration has said that it would refer the dispute to the United States Department of Justice if access was not restored for border patrol agents.[21][22]

  1. ^ "Governor Abbott's Operation Lone Star touts thousands of arrests, $10 billion cost". CBS News. January 22, 2023. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide". Texas Tribune. October 4, 2022. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference hrw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "Texas Marks Third Anniversary Of Operation Lone Star". texas.gov. June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Aguilar, Julián (March 9, 2021). "As migrant apprehensions rise, Abbott slams Biden immigration policies in border appearance". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference OLStextrib was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cuellar, Carolina (December 3, 2021). "Operation Lone Star continues indefinitely while the Texas Military Department expands border wall". KERA News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Winkie, Davis (January 4, 2022). "Another Operation Lone Star soldier dies amid morale crisis". Army Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  9. ^ 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. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Southwest border mission spurs 'mixed feelings' among guardsmen". Reserve & National Guard Magazine. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference OLSgoverning was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Texas sees 74% decrease in illegal border crossings since Operation Lone Star, DPS says". Fox4 Dallas Fort Worth. June 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (July 18, 2023). "Texas trooper alleges inhumane treatment of migrants by state officials along southern border". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference natguardsurvey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Texas flies over 120 immigrants to Chicago in expansion of Gov. Greg Abbott's busing plan". Texas Tribune. December 20, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Democratic mayors renew pleas for federal help and coordination with Texas over migrant crisis". Associated press. December 27, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "D.C. still struggling to manage growing migrant crisis". Axios. September 7, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBCDec17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Chicago migrant crisis: Texas bus companies may be making millions transporting new arrivals". ABC7. December 28, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference APNov19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "In Eagle Pass, a tense border standoff between Texas and the federal government is reaching a crescendo". The Texas Tribune. January 22, 2024. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  22. ^ "Biden administration warns it will take action if Texas does not stop blocking federal agents from U.S. border area". CBS News. January 15, 2024. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

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