AUSTIN, Texas — The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) told state lawmakers Monday that arrests near the Mexico border have dropped nearly in half from the same time a year earlier.
“By any measure, there’s no question that Operation Lone Star has been successful,” DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw said.
McCraw was one of the invited speakers during the Texas House State Affairs Committee’s interim hearing Monday on Operation Lone Star. The state has spent roughly $11 billion on the border security effort since its launch in March 2021.
McCraw told lawmakers that out of 4 million apprehensions at the southern border since then, state law enforcement officers made roughly 520,000 arrests. Megan LaVoie, the administrative director of the Office of Court Administration, testified that 70% of resulting cases are misdemeanors, mainly criminal trespass.
According to McCraw, recent restrictions by the Biden administration and enforcement by Mexico and Panama caused illegal crossings to drop in Texas and other border states.
“We’re now able to focus on the criminal element more, which is how we’re starting to be able to recognize Tren de Aragua and some of the other criminal elements,” said Mike Banks, a special advisor to the governor on border matters.
State Rep. Rafael Anchía (D-Dallas) grilled McCraw and Banks, who is known as the state border czar, on whether Operation Lone Star has been successful.
“The goal is zero [unlawful crossings], and you have not met that goal,” Anchía said.
“We’re 87% of the way to that goal in less than two years of me being on board,” Banks said. “So, I would say that’s a huge success.”
Officials testifying and lawmakers on both sides called for the federal government's help to bring unlawful crossings to zero. Rep. Richard Peña Raymond (D-Laredo) suggested an expansion of work visas to help businesses legally hire people outside the U.S. for tough-to-fill jobs.
“It’s gonna depend on policy that’s enacted by the federal government,” Banks said. “It’s gonna depend on lawsuits.”
Jessie Fuentes lives in Eagle Pass, a border city with a heavy state presence. Fuentes said Operation Lone Star has cut access to the Rio Grande for his canoeing business, Epi's Canoe & Kayak Team.
“Over the last year, 2.5 years, it’s been very chaotic,” Fuentes said. “Right now, I’m shut down."
Fuentes made the 4-hour drive to Austin to attend Monday’s hearing. He hopes lawmakers try a different tactic from barriers moving forward.
“I just kept twisting and turning in my seat,” said Fuentes, who disagreed with the positive portrayal by officials. “I’m tired of being under siege ... This is a global issue, that migration is going to happen, and that we need to address it properly, humanely and respectfully.”
During Monday’s hearing, the Biden administration announced tougher asylum restrictions will take effect Tuesday. The Texas Legislature reconvenes in January.