Skip to main content
A Texas Department of Public Safety official arrests Nerio, a Venezuelan migrant, near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.
Operation Lone Star

Gov. Greg Abbott's border security initiative rolls out with confusion, missteps and a whole lot of state troopers in Val Verde County

The governor's decision to go all in on border security is evolving rapidly, and many of those on the ground don't know how it's going to work.

TKTK watches as her husband is arrested by a Texas Department of Public Safety official near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.

Border politics 

A group of migrants waits to turn themselves over to National Guard and Customs and Border Protection officials at the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.
Numerous Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles are parked at a Best Western hotel in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.

Uncharted territory

A temporary migrant processing facility next to the Val Verde Sheriff's Office in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.
A portion of the newly-erected border fence that is being constructed by the state on private property in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.

Wait! We need your help.

DONATE NOW

Explore related story topics

Criminal justice Immigration Border Department of Public Safety Greg Abbott Investigations