While many red state governors remain feckless as regards their responses to illegal immigration, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has done as much as he can do as a governor to try to defend the Texas-Mexico border. Under Operation Lone Star, Gov. Abbott has deployed Texas National Guard troops to the border, erected barriers on land and in the Rio Grande, and shipped migrants to blue cities.
It is that latest part of the Operation Lone Star strategy that Gov. Abbott most recently spoke about, taking to X to announce that his state had bussed 70,000 migrants to blue states across the country, including tens of thousands being sent to already-struggling New York City and Chicago.
Announcing the latest round of buses to blue cities and how many migrants will be sent to each, Gov. Abbott said (punctuation added for ease of reading), “Texas will bus migrants to sanctuary cities until Biden secures the border. Over 12,500 to DC, Over 25,000 to New York City, Over 20,000 to Chicago, Over 3,200 to Philadelphia, Over 7,400 to Denver, Over 1,100 to Los Angeles. Our mission provides vital relief to border towns.”
A press release from the Governor’s office on the same subject added, “Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 485,700 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 36,800 criminal arrests, with more than 33,400 felony charges reported. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 449 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.”
Explaining why the state sees the massive border defense effort, normally the preserve of the federal government, is necessary, Abbott’s office added, “Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border.”
That statement continued, “Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies.”
Gov. Abbott, for his part, after helping serve Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of those involved in the Operation Lone Star effort, said, “Texas is forever grateful for our brave service members who work day and night to protect and defend our state and our nation. This Thanksgiving as they are away from their families and loved ones, may we remember the sacrifices these brave men and women in uniform make every day to ensure the safety and security of all Texans and Americans.”
Gov. Abbott also sounded off on the Biden Administration and federal court after that court did not rule in favor of an injunction Texas asked for to stop the Biden Administration from demolishing its border barriers. In that statement, he said, “A federal court held that the Biden Admin. wrongfully destroyed state property by cutting razor wire barriers that Texas built on the border. The Court chastised the Biden Admin. for its utter failure “to deter, prevent, and halt unlawful entry into the United States.” The Court also noted that “the wire serves as a deterrent – an effective one at that.” Despite the Court’s detailing Biden’s dereliction of duty, the Court denied (for now) an injunction in favor of Texas because of a procedural issue. I support an immediate appeal by Attorney General Paxton to ensure that Biden is swiftly held accountable.”
Featured image credit: By World Travel & Tourism Council – Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54703342
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