| Part of theMexico–United States border crisis | |
 Texas National Guard members during Operation Lone Star | |
| Date | March 6, 2021 – present (2021-03-06 – present) (4 years, 8 months and 3 weeks) |
|---|---|
| Location | Texas portion of theMexico–United States border |
| Target | Illegal immigration to the United States Illegal drug trade Human smuggling |
| Budget | $10 billion as of January 2024[1] |
| Participants |  TexasTexas Military Department Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Division of Emergency Management |
| Outcome | 489 million doses offentanyl seized 119,200 migrants bused to sanctuary cities |
| Deaths | 74 dead in pursuits in OLS counties, including 7 bystanders[2] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 189 injured in pursuits in OLS counties[2] |
| Arrests | 513,700 migrant apprehensions 44,000 criminal arrests |
| Charges | 38,600 felony charges[3] |
Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a jointoperation between theTexas Department of Public Safety and theTexas Military Department along theMexico–United States border in southernTexas. The operation started in 2021 and is ongoing. According toTexas governorGreg Abbott, the operation is intended to counter a rise inillegal immigration, theillegal drug trade, andhuman smuggling.[4] Between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, migrant apprehensions had risen 278% along the US–Mexico border.[5] 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 offentanyl seized.[3][6][7] As of April 2022, OLS was spending approximately $2.5 million per week and was expected to cost approximately $2 billion per year.[8] Approximately 10,000National Guard members were deployed in support of OLS at the height of the operation, with around 6,000 deployed as of November 2022.[9] 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 inArizona,California, andNew Mexico along their respective borders with Mexico.[10] As of June 2024, the Department of Public Safety has estimated a 74% drop in illegal border crossings since the start of OLS.[11]
OLS has drawn support from manyRepublican Partystate governors. OLS drew criticism from thefederal government under then-president Biden,Democratic Party governors andmayors, and migrant advocates for its treatment of migrants, including the withholding of water and orders topush migrants back into theRio Grande.[12] Migrants have had a more difficult time crossing areas of the Rio Grande due torazor 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.[2] Texas officials and national guard members have also voiced concerns about hardships sustained during deployment in support of OLS.[7][13]
According to the governor, 119,200 migrants were voluntarily bused tosanctuary cities across the United States as of June 2024.[3] A few migrants were also flown directly to these cities.[14] This has resulted in migrant crises in cities likeNew York City,Chicago, andWashington, D.C., as local resources are stretched thin to handle the new arrivals.[15][16] 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.[17][18][15][19]
In January 2024, Texas officials seized control ofShelby Park inEagle Pass, which was frequently used byUnited 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. TheBiden administration has said that it would refer the dispute to theUnited States Department of Justice if access was not restored for border patrol agents.[20][21]
Starting with "Operation Linebacker" by former governorRick Perry, the State of Texas has been launchingborder security operations with increasing escalation since 2005.[8] These operations were limited in scope due to the exclusive authority of federal immigration agents to deport migrants.[10] Operation Lone Star was launched in 2021 to respond to the surge in border crossings, which Governor Abbott attributed to the Biden Administration's policies on immigration. In fiscal year 2021, enforcement actions byU.S. Customs and Border Protection, including detentions and arrests of migrants, rose to over 1.9 million, a 202% increase from fiscal year 2020. Meanwhile, a 278% increase in migrant encounters was seen at the southwest border from fiscal year 2020 to 2021, which continued rising into 2022.[5]
Operation Lone Star differed from previous border operations due to the authority granted to state law enforcement officials to arrest migrants in border counties for offenses such as criminal trespassing and human smuggling.[10] OLS efforts to empower local law enforcement to act against undocumented migrants have been complicated by the traditional delegation of immigration enforcement powers to federal officials. InArizona v. United States, theSupreme Court overturned an Arizona law penalizing illegal immigration at a state level.[22][23]
| Date | Notable Event |
|---|---|
| March 6, 2021 | Operation Lone Star is launched[4] |
| May 31, 2021 | Greg Abbott declares disaster via Proclamation[24] |
| June 16, 2021 | Greg Abbott announces border wall construction strategy[25] |
| December 18, 2021 | First section of border wall completed inRio Grande City[26] |
| March 14, 2022 | Major GeneralTracy Norris is relieved of command[27] |
| April 6, 2022 | Bus and flight of immigrants tosanctuary city Washington, D.C., begin[28] |
| July 7, 2022 | Greg Abbott declares invasion via Executive Order GA-41[29] |
| September 21, 2022 | Greg Abbott designates Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations via Executive Order GA-42[30] |
| November 18, 2022 | M113 armored personnel carriers are deployed[31] |
| February 3, 2023 | Greg Abbott establishesTexas Border Czar position, appointsMike Banks[32] |
| May 8, 2023 | Greg Abbott establishes and deploys Texas Tactical Border Force[33][34] |
| May 16, 2023 | Texas requests assistance from other states, utilizing theEmergency Management Assistance Compact.[35] |
| October 2, 2023 | The Texas Ranger Division andTexas Army National Guard occupiedFronton Island.[36] |
| December 18, 2023 | Greg Abbott signs bill SB 4, making illegal immigration a state crime, allowing Texas law enforcement to arrest undocumented migrants anywhere in the state. It also permits state courts to issue removal orders to send arrested migrants back across the Mexican border.[22] |
| January 11, 2024 | Greg Abbott executes emergency declaration ordering Texas Military Forces to seize control of 47-acre Shelby Park in Eagle Pass from United States Border Patrol agents.[37] |
| January 25, 2024 | 25 Republican state governors declare their support for Texas in its disputes with Federal authorities.[38] |
| February 16, 2024 | Greg Abbott announces FOB Eagle, an 80-acreforward operating base at Eagle Pass for 2,300 soldiers[39] |
| April 19, 2024 | Additional resources were sent to help secure border in El Paso due to a surge of illegal immigrants. |
| May 31, 2024 | Texas National Guard soldiers were welcomed Governor Abbott during their move to the base camp in Eagle Pass.[40] |
| September 23, 2024 | Greg Abbott announces Texas is launching a operation to target Venezuelan gangTren de Aragua (TdA)[40] |
As of June 2023, polling from the Texas Politics Project at theUniversity of Texas at Austin indicated that 59% of Texans backed the increased law enforcement deployments and border spending.[41][42]
The mission faced public criticism, including from state officials, following reports of pay delays, poor working and living conditions, a lack of proper equipment and facilities, and multiple suicides and suicide attempts among service members.[7][43] According to reporting in theArmy Times, soldiers were being housed in what it describes as cramped quarters, in converted recreational vehicles and semi-truck trailers, and also faced shortages in cold weather uniforms, medical equipment, and portable toilets.[7] According to theHouston Chronicle, this was further compounded when it coincided with state cuts in educational benefits for service members to address budget shortfalls, reducing available tuition assistance by more than half.[44] SomeTexas Air National Guard members deployed in support of OLS have also criticized the operation's planning and execution, with nearly 30% of 250 participants in a 2022 Air National Guard survey reporting frustration with the operation's length, haste, and involuntary nature.[13]
On January 13, 2022, a state district court judge inTravis County, Texas, granted Jesús Alberto Guzmán Curipoma, ofEcuador, a writ ofhabeas corpus, ruling that the state program violated thesupremacy clause of theUnited States Constitution.[45] On February 25, 2022, thestate Third Court of Appeals in Austin affirmed the decision of the lower court.[46] On June 26, 2024, the Court of Criminal Appeals vacated the Third Court of Appeals decision and remanded the case for reconsideration.[47]
Republican Party officials in multiple states and in federal positions supported Texas' efforts and criticized opposition from the Biden administration.[48]
More than 100 sheriffs in Texas have publicly backed OLS.[49]
Many people support OLS, as of February 10, 2025 there has been an estimated amount of 56 million dollars donated to fund, the border wall, border transportation, and border security. This funding is from donations from Americans all over not only in Texas.[50]
In July 2022, the Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation of OLS.[51] According to a Texas Department of Public Safety email obtained by theTexas Tribune, the investigation is focused on reviewing whether OLS violates Title VI of theCivil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by programs that receive federal funds.
On July 24, 2023, the DOJ filed a lawsuit in theWestern District of Texas,United States v. Abbott, alleging that the construction of floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass by OLS without permission violated theRivers and Harbors Act of 1899.[52] In a statement announcing the lawsuit,Associate Attorney GeneralVanita Gupta said that the barriers pose a hazard to navigation and public safety, present humanitarian concerns, and have sparked diplomatic protests by Mexico. In response, Texas argued that the area of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass does not fall under the Act and that the floating barriers are not a "structure" subject to the Act's requirements. Texas also argued that theCompact Clause of theU.S. Constitution, which allows states to engage in war if invaded, allows Texas to build the barriers due to Governor Abbott's invasion declaration.[53] On September 6, the district court granted the DOJ's motion for apreliminary injunction and ordered Texas to move the barrier to the bank of the river and cease the installation of any new barriers.[54] In response, Texas appealed the order to theCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which issued an order on December 1 affirming the injunction.[55] The court also found that Texas has not offered concrete evidence that the barrier has saved lives or reduced illegal migration. The outcome of the case is pending anen banc rehearing in the Fifth Circuit.[56]
| Department of Homeland Security v. Texas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | Western District of Texas |
| Started | October 24, 2023 |
| Docket nos. | 2:23-cv-00055 (W.D. Tex.) 23-50869 (5th Cir.) 23A607 (SCOTUS) |
| Case history | |
| Appealed to | Fifth Circuit |
| Subsequent action | 5th circuit ruling stayed by supreme court viashadow docket[57] |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Alia Moses |
Federal border patrol agents have cut and destroyed razor wire deployed by Texas as part of Operation Lone Star, but were halted from doing so except to provide emergency medical aid by a temporary injunction issued by a judge in the Western District of Texas on October 30, 2023.[58] On November 30, the court withdrew the injunction, allowing the Border Patrol to resume cutting the wire pending a trial in the case.[59] The Fifth Circuit reinstated the temporary injunction on cutting razor wire in December 2023. In January 2024, the Supreme Court restored the ability of border patrol agents to cut razor wire pending the outcome of the case.[60] Texas continued putting up concertina wire and blocking border patrol agents after the ruling, which only dealt with the temporary injunction against border patrol agents cutting razor wire.[61][62] The case is ongoing and is scheduled to be argued before the Fifth Circuit on February 7, 2024.[63]
Since 2022, Abbott has repeatedly invoked the "invasion clauses" of the Constitution to legally justify his efforts on immigration enforcement, which typically falls under federal purview. Abbott has accused the Biden administration of failing to protect Texas against an "invasion" underArticle IV, Section 4 of the Constitution, thus empowering the state to act underArticle I, Section 10, Clause 3.[64][65][66][67] Texas has also unsuccessfully attempted to use this argument in federal court.[68]
On January 3, 2024, the Biden administration filedUnited States v. Texas, a lawsuit challengingSB 4, which empowered Texas law enforcement to arrest migrants and effectively deport them for crossing the border illegally. The Biden administration argued that Texas was interfering with the federal government's "exclusive authority" on immigration.[69][70] The United States Supreme Court issued a stay temporarily blocking SB 4 from going into effect on March 4, 2024.[71] The Supreme Court rejected a later request for a stay and allowed the law to go into effect pending ongoing litigation on March 19.[72]
On January 11, 2024, theTexas National Guard took control ofShelby Park, a 47-acre (19 ha) area of parkland in the town ofEagle Pass, along theRio Grande river, which separates theUnited States from Mexico, afterTexas GovernorGreg Abbott signed an emergency declaration to close the park. In his declaration, Abbott cited theMexico–United States border crisis and the need to secure the border. The Texas National Guard blockedU.S. Border Patrol agents from patrolling the area, which the Border Patrol had been using to hold migrants in recent weeks.[73][74]
After the closure, three migrants were found drowned in the Rio Grande. Mexican authorities subsequently identified them as a 33-year-old woman and her two children, aged 10 and 8. The U.S. Border Patrol said it had alerted the Texas National Guard that a group of migrants were in distress in the waters outside the boat ramp in Shelby Park but that the National Guard took no action to rescue them. Texas lawyers responded that the National Guard was alerted only after the three had drowned, and that the National Guard had not spotted any migrants. Mexican authorities said that the boat never entered U.S. territory.[75][76]
On January 22, theSupreme Court of the United States issued an order to vacate an injunction by the5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevented Border Patrol agents from cuttingconcertina wire, which the National Guard had been using to make a fence in Shelby Park. The ruling concerned an earlier dispute and did not address Texas deployingrazor wire or blocking federal officials from the park.[77][78] On January 24, Abbott responded that Texas would refuse to let federal authorities access the park, vowing to "protect the sovereignty of our state".[79][77][80] A military standoff between state and federal authorities over immigration is unique in modern American history; constitutional law professor Charles "Rocky" Rhodes and an editorial in theSan Antonio Express-News said it may signal the start of aconstitutional crisis.[81][82][83]
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision, 25 otherRepublicanstate governors (every Republican governor but Vermont'sPhil Scott) announced their support for Texas in the dispute, as didU.S. House speakerMike Johnson.[84][85] Florida GovernorRon DeSantis additionally committed to sending more resources after previously sending theFlorida National Guard to reinforce the Texas government.[81] Oklahoma GovernorKevin Stitt pledged to deploy theOklahoma National Guard to support Texas, and Indiana GovernorEric Holcomb announced that 50Indiana National Guardsmen would arrive in Texas by mid-March.[86][87] Georgia GovernorBrian Kemp stated 15 to 20Georgia National Guard troops would be sent to Texas.[88] In Missouri, GovernorMike Parson issued an executive order to deploy up to 200Missouri National Guard troops to Texas, as well as 22state troopers "on a voluntary basis".[89] Arkansas GovernorSarah Huckabee Sanders stated that approximately 40Arkansas National Guard members would be deployed in Texas from April 1 through May 30.[90] Other state and national Republican officials backed Texas.[48]
On January 23, theDepartment of Homeland Security issuedTexas attorney generalKen Paxton an ultimatum, ordering the removal of "obstructions" along the border and that the Border Patrol be given full access to Shelby Park by January 26.[91] On January 24,Democratic Texas representativesJoaquin Castro andGreg Casar called for U.S. PresidentJoe Biden to establish federal control over the Texas National Guard.[92] On January 26, the deadline set by Department of Homeland Security passed. It had ordered Texas to agree to fully reopen disputed parts of the Shelby Park area to federal Border Patrol agents, emphasizing the need for confirmation and specifying the consequences of partial denial in a letter from DHS General CounselJonathan Meyer to Attorney General Paxton.
On January 29, more than two dozen Republican state attorneys general, and leadership from the Republican-controlledArizona State Legislature, signed a letter supporting Abbott and Paxton, addressing President Biden and DHS SecretaryAlejandro Mayorkas and commending Abbott's and Paxton's actions against what they called the "invasion, encouraged by Biden's refusal to follow federal statutory law".[93][94]
On May 16, 2023, Abbott requested assistance from other state governors through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.[35] As of June 2023, 14 states have sent about 500 national guard[quantify] and law enforcement officers to Texas in response, withFlorida providing the most additional personnel.[95]
Texas Governor Abbott claims OLS has resulted in 513,700 migrant apprehensions, 44,000 criminal arrests (including 38,600 felony charges), and 489 million doses of fentanyl seized as of June 2024.[3] However, a March 2022 investigation byProPublica,The Texas Tribune, andThe Marshall Project found that the Texas Department of Public Safety had counted over 2,000 arrests with no link to OLS or border security towards OLS's total.[96] After those arrests were removed, later reports found DPS still continues to include arrests unrelated to Operation Lone Star in the operation's results.
High speed chases of migrants led by US citizens and Texas state police have risen in Texas, dozens of which are fatal.[97] Human Rights Watch found that more than two-thirds of police chases in Texas occurred in OLS counties, which contained 13% of the state population. According to HRW, 74 people have died and 189 were injured as a result of these chases, resulting in a vehicle pursuit death rate eight times as high as the national rate. It also found an average of $177,000 in property damage per month linked to these chases, up from $73,000 per month prior to OLS.[2]
The costs of the operation have resulted in funding being transferred from other Texas government agency budgets, particularly the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates state prisons. Reimbursement for the costs have partly been filled by using federal COVID aid.[10]
After the start of OLS, Texas saw slower rates of increases in migrant encounters than neighboring states since the start of OLS. One year after inception, Texas saw a 9% increase in encounters, compared to a 62% increase in encounters in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, the three other states bordering Mexico.[10] In June 2024, the Department of Public Safety reported that Texas experienced a 74% decrease in illegal border crossings since the start of OLS.[11]
As part of Operation Lone Star, Texas set up a program to voluntarily send migrants to sanctuary cities in other states, typically through busing.[98][14] Abbott has stated that the purpose of the migrant busing program was to provide Texan border towns with relief from migrant arrivals, which he blames on the Biden administration's policies on immigration, and to bring the costs of the border crisis to Democratic cities that had been dismissing it.[17][99][100] Abbott has also mocked leaders of cities he sent migrants to for saying that they welcome immigrants.[14][98] Some migrant advocates reported instances of buses being sent without adequate provisions.[101] The state reported sending 119,200 migrants to cities outside of Texas,[3] contributing to theNew York City migrant housing crisis and other crises in cities such as Chicago,Denver, and Washington, D.C.[15][18] Officials in these cities have responded to the drop-off of migrants by deploying emergency measures and calling states of emergencies.[102][17] Some Democratic-led cities, such as Denver and New York City, have also responded by giving migrants free bus and plane rides to other cities.[19]
To carry out the busing program, charter bus companies transport the migrants at a cost of about $1,650 per migrant, with funding coming from both the Texas legislature and private donors. A few hundred migrants have also been flown from Texas to sanctuary cities.[18] Local officials in the sanctuary cities have attempted to crack down on the busing programs via fines and ordinances targeting the charter bus companies. New York City in particular has filed a lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies responsible for migrant transportation.[103][18]
Officials in areas dealing with migrant surges have called on the Biden administration to change immigration policies. They have also requested federal aid to fund their responses to the migrant influx and reimburse costs.[99] Washington, D.C., in particular has requested the deployment of theD.C. National Guard to assist in the migrant crisis, but has been turned down.[104]
Republican officials have expressed approval of the OLS busing program for giving the migrant crisis national attention.[99] In 2022,White House Press SecretaryJen Psaki said it was "nice the State of Texas is helping [migrants] get to their final destination", while in 2023, the White House and other Democrats called the busing program a "political stunt".[98][100] Other states and cities, both Democratic and Republican, as well as local charities, have followed Texas in organizing busing operations to move migrants to the rest of the country.[17][19][105]