Governor Greg Abbott announced on Friday that Operation Lone Star has surpassed 10,000 felony arrests since its inception.
Operation Lone Star was launched on March 6, 2021 aimed to secure the border, stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.
Since the launch, Operation Lone Star has seen more than 219,000 migrant apprehensions, including more than 10,200 felony arrests in the more than 12,700 charges for criminal offenses. The program has also seized over 3,400 weapons, and almost $30 million in currency, as well as intercepting over 289 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
The operation's Elite Brush Team captured 54 illegal migrants this week in Maverick County alone.
Operation Lone Star's Elite Brush Teams typically consist of DPS troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers who serve as the last line defense against transnational criminal behavior. The brush teams use a variety of sensors, tracking systems, and other techniques to identify individuals and their country of origin, as well as their intended destination.