The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department hosted the first weekly media briefing on Thursday to discuss the progress of Operation Lone Star.
High-ranking officials from the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department shared insights, anecdotes, and statistics from Operation Line Star activities around the state.
Operation Lone Star was launched by Governor Greg Abbott and the Department of Public Safety to combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas.
The operation involved the deployment of air, ground, marine, and tactical border security assets to high threat areas to deny Mexican Cartels and other smugglers the ability to move drugs and people into the state.
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"Texas continues to work diligently to secure our southern border under the leadership of Governor Abbott and these briefings provide an opportunity for us to share tangible evidence of how combined local and state operations being conducted are protecting communities across the nation," DPS Director Steven McCraw said. "We hope to also share how Operation Lone Star is preventing crime despite the federal government's failure to provide the brave men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection the infrastructure, technology and personnel needed to secure the border."
The Texas Military Department said it is also committed to helping secure the border, confronting the crisis, and cracking down on the cartels and human traffickers.
Texas Guard soldiers provide boots on the ground and other valuable assets to help identify illegal activity and apprehend illegal immigrants, the Texas Military Department said.
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"The Texas Military Department is made up of Texans who come from communities across our great state; we are always ready and always there to support our partner agencies in protecting our home and preventing criminal elements from entering Texas," Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, the Adjutant General of Texas, said. "We have a long history of enduring relationships with local, state and federal agencies in conducting Homeland Security missions that dates back more than 100 years and we are proud to continue this legacy as Texans serving Texas."
