Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has recently teamed up with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard in a new 'hi-tech' attempt to secure the border.
Their recent launching of Operation Lone Star heavily emphasizes preventing the smuggling of narcotics, weapons, and people into Texas. Moreover, the team plans to stop any crimes that originate from illegal border crossings.
Operation Lone Star will make extensive use of hi-tech tools that will allow the Texas National Guard to detect and track illegal activity. Drones will be the primary tool used in their efforts and training soldiers to fly them. In addition to drones, helicopters and a trigger system that use heat to "locate individual body signatures".
Speaking about their efforts, U.S. Staff Sgt. Juan Aldana, Bravo company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry stated, "We serve as a reconnaissance team to enable our commander to make better decisions on what we see as traffic patterns, which has shown success. On average, we have apprehended between 500 to 1,000 migrants a month.”
In a tweet, the Texas Governor stated, "#OperationLoneStar fills the dangerous gaps left by Biden's refusal to secure the border. Texas has made more than 24,000 criminal arrests & seized over 356 MILLION deadly fentanyl doses. While Biden refuses to do his job, Texas is protecting America."
#OperationLoneStar fills the dangerous gaps left by Biden's refusal to secure the border.
Texas has made more than 24,000 criminal arrests & seized over 356 MILLION deadly fentanyl doses.
While Biden refuses to do his job, Texas is protecting America.https://t.co/FpEybUZdWA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 28, 2023
By Gov. Greg Abbott’s estimation, one could argue that Operation Lone Star has been successful. So far, 345,000 illegal immigrants have been apprehended, with at least 24,000 apprehensions resulting in criminal arrests. The agency claims to have confiscated over 356 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
Over 9,100 migrants have been bused from Texas in a more controversial aspect of Abbott’s anti-illegal immigration efforts. Over 5,200 of the migrants were sent to New York City, with 1,500 being sent to Chicago, and 890 to Philadelphia.
Abbott’s Administration and their efforts are a direct response to what they see as “dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border.” Moreover, this initiative comes after the governor's recent criticism of President Joe Biden's (R) handling of his border visit.
The topic of border security is getting more serious and discussed, as the days go by. It will be interesting to see what comes of Abbott’s policies, as well as what the Biden Administration has planned to address the issue.
