Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference on April 1 with DPS Director Steve McCraw, TMD Adjutant General Tracy Norris, and National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd concerning Operation Lone Star.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Governor Greg Abbott
- Thanks personnel & responders at the border
- Biden admin open order policies have made an open season for criminals, gangs
- Because federal gov has failed to respond to these dangers, Texas is stepping in; launched operation Lone Star
- Operation Lone Star designed to handle border security as DPS handles other priorities; without Lone Star, criminals would be to get across the border as they please
- Lone Star numbers are staggering just over the past month, began on March 4th & in 28 days DPS has made >500 criminal arrests and 16,000 referrals of illegal immigrants
- Highlights DPS arrests, incl. stash house in RGV, arrests for crimes against children; on March 14th made a traffic stop and arrested driver who was smuggling illegal immigrants, March 16th assisted with waves of immigrants being smuggled on rafts
- Criminal will intentionally endanger children & others to shift focus of law enforcement away from other crimes
- Concerned about how brazen and open cartels are getting in trying to recruit people within the state; trying to recruit on apps like TikTok
- Lone Star is doing what it can to keep border safe, but will not be solved until Biden admin secures border
Colonel Steve McCraw, Department of Public Safety
- Unsecured borders have results in corridors for crime into the state, endangers women and children along the border
- Provides in roads for human trafficking and criminal aliens, important to fill gap with border patrol partners and local law enforcement
- See smugglers sitting openly on ranch lands, more being encouraged to start
Governor Greg Abbott
- Public safety officers have sized drugs, firearms, currency, made arrests of gang members
- Just the beginning of what will be an onslaught if Biden admin does not secure border
Adj. Gen. Tracy Norris, Texas Military Department
- Within 5 days of activation had number of observation and listening posts along the border, role is to add eyes and ears to DPS and customs and border protection
Brandon Judd, National Border Patrol Council
- Operates in a largely political aspect, also puts on uniform and patrols border
- Calls on Governors of other border states to assist in this issue; wouldn’t need this if federal government did their job
- If federal government doesn’t do their job, will continue to see numbers increase
- If Biden says Remain in Mexico program was inhumane, needs to replace it with something else; could set up court to adjudicate cases
- By solving the problem can release TX DPS to do their jobs
Questions
- Asks after arrests along the border, how long troopers will be on the border
- McCraw – We don’t arrest anyone for crossing illegally, arrest for smuggling; refer illegal crossings to border patrol
- Focused on smuggling, drugs, stash houses, assaults, trafficking, etc.
- Duration depends on how long DPS is swamped
- Gov. Abbott – Regarding special interest arrests, had discussions about arrests of those from countries with ties to terrorism, one of the extreme dangers we face
- Special interest arrests will not turn themselves in, this is the activity that occurs while DPS is occupied
- Judd – Learned that there were several special interest arrests from Minority leader McCarthy, have personally arrested people from all over the world
- Flooding borders with unaccompanied children and family units takes resources
- Asks after raft arrest incident
- Officer involved in the arrest describes the event, woman and child were in the river & assisted them
- Does border patrol
- Judd – Baby was turned over, most likely released into the US
- Biden admin said they are returning >80% of migrants back into Mexico
- Gov. Abbott – Seeing increasing numbers of people coming across the border, unprecedented number of people & just getting started because Biden admin has established open border policies
- Judd – Probably 80% were expelled close to inauguration day, but have now seen an explosion of numbers and Title 42 carve-outs; not currently expelling 80% today, lucky if its 40%
- Has there been any communication with the Mexican government to solve this?
- Gov. Abbott – No communication between Texas and Mexico, federal government and Mexico communicate frequently
- Asks after COVID testing in cities along the border; are you planning to provide additional housing resources, etc.? Also have heard of delays at bridge crossings
- Gov. Abbott – There are well-defined organization in charge of responding to each situation every step along the way with illegal crossings, organizations providing assistance at the local level are NGOs and ORR
- Biden admin was completely unprepared for large numbers because their own agencies were unorganized
- Judd – Need to have open conversations to solve this problem, individuals are not supposed to be held at initial processing center for more than 8 hours, transferred after this period
- Signs exist along trails pointing them to processing centers
- There were smugglers taunting Senators when they visited the known smuggling route
- What’s the update drugs
- McCraw – Will have numbers later on, reflecting investigations
- How do Texas Rangers investigate crimes involving children?
- McCraw – Had a stash house with someone who had warrants for sexual assault, followed up to see if there were any others
- No law against taunting, no issue if we’re taunted
- Are special ops groups assigned to Texas-Mexico border?
- McCraw – Yes, bring special response teams in where cartels are exploiting gaps
- Will continue as long as necessary