The historic pace of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has fueled Republicans’ focus on the crisis, but despite the efforts of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, encounters in Texas have increased.
Operation Lone Star
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to ramp up security along the Texas-Mexico border in March 2021, citing insufficient policies from the federal government. He announced that the state would deploy resources from the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard. The Texas Legislature dedicated nearly $2 billion toward the effort. But the operation has been mired in controversy; National Guard troops have called it a disaster, and migrants arrested on state trespassing charges have gotten caught in confused legal proceedings, their lawyers citing due-process violations. Texas Tribune reporters are covering the border initiative and its effects on the people involved. Help us investigate Operation Lone Star by sharing your experiences living at the border or near it.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
What is the Texas National Guard and why does it matter in this year’s gubernatorial election?
A governor’s military powers are often not discussed as part of the election process, in favor of other prominent issues like education and taxes. But with Operation Lone Star in plain view, voters may have more questions this election.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Kinney County is Operation Lone Star’s poster child
Officials in the Texas border county are pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to take ever more extreme action against migrants and asylum-seekers.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Operation Lone Star troops could owe feds tax money thanks to state’s payroll error
On Thursday, officials with the Texas Military Department acknowledged that the payroll system they used for the mission has withheld too little in federal taxes from service members’ paychecks.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide
The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledges New York City mayor’s office reached out about migrant busing efforts
Abbott previously said Eric Adams’ office had not reached out to him about coordinating migrant arrivals in New York City and faced criticism that he was rebuffing efforts from the mayor to communicate.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Migrant encounters at the border are higher today than they were before Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star began
The number of migrant encounters at the Texas-Mexico border has climbed from 109,456 in March 2021, the month the mission began, to 116,976 in August — a failure of Abbott’s office’s stated desire to “stop this revolving door and deter others considering entering illegally.”
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
As fentanyl plagues Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directs state police to focus on cartels
Abbott directed the Department of Public Safety to boost efforts to collect intelligence on cartels and investigate gangs in Texas that support drug and human smuggling.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Texas reduces National Guard members deployed to Operation Lone Star border mission
Abbott said there’s over 5,000 guard members still assigned to the border. He initially said he had deployed 10,000.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Judge in Texas border crackdown accused of using racist slur against migrants
Allen Amos, a visiting judge handling trespassing cases under Gov. Greg Abbott’s “catch-and-jail” border operation, allegedly used the derogatory term in a recent conversation with a defense attorney.