Operation Lone Star: Key Facts On Immigration And Crime In Texas

I knew it! I dang sure knew it was just a matter of time before Texas began cracking down on the illegal-immigrants, gang members and the drugs caught coming in statewide this past week.

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Operation Lone Star Delivers Results

Over 532,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions, nearly 53,000 criminal arrests, and over 671 million lethal doses of fentanyl seized. That’s just a snapshot of what Operation Lone Star has accomplished. Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are turning up the heat on criminal activity pouring in through our border.

Most Wanted Fugitive Captured in North Texas

DPS took down Carlos Venegas Ortiz, a criminal illegal immigrant wanted for continuous sexual abuse of a child in Tarrant County. He was located and arrested in Haltom City with help from the U.S. Marshals. Ortiz had been on Texas' 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants list since October.

High-Speed Chases and Cartel Connections

In Webb County, a Mexican Mafia gang member led DPS troopers on a high-speed chase through ranchland before crashing and fleeing on foot. Four illegal immigrants, including a minor, were apprehended. In another case, a smuggler crashed into two vehicles before jumping into the Rio Grande. Five more illegal immigrants were found hidden inside that vehicle.

K-9 Units and Drug Seizures on the Front Lines

DPS K-9s Shark and Bona tracked 19 illegal immigrants through thick brush in South Texas. In El Paso, agents seized bundles of fentanyl and meth hidden inside three individuals at a border crossing. One woman was arrested for trafficking.

LOOK: This Is What's Happening During Operation Lone Star

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas.

Gallery Credit: Rudy Fernandez

Texas National Guard Ramps Up Support

Guard troops are working side-by-side with Border Patrol, conducting ride-alongs, monitoring surveillance, and training daily. They're expanding their mission and reinforcing what Governor Abbott calls a "unified commitment to national security."

If It’s Illegal, Don’t Do It

I’ve never touched a drug in my life, and hearing about people smuggling this poison into Texas fires me up like a Fourth of July grand finale. Fentanyl isn’t just illegal, it’s deadly. And to the ones running from the law, crashing through fences, putting kids in danger, here’s a thought: if it’s against the law, don’t do it. It's really that simple. Texas law enforcement is making it clear: if you break the law here, you're going to get caught.