Operation Lone Star
Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the southern border between Texas and Mexico. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the operation is intended to counter illegal immigration, the illegal drug trade, and human smuggling. As of April 2022, OLS was spending approximately $2.5 million per week and was expected to cost approximately $2 billion per year. Approximately 10,000 National Guard members were deployed in support of OLS at the height of the operation, with around 6,000 deployed as of November 2022. According to the governor's office, OLS has resulted in 394,200 migrant apprehensions, 31,300 criminal arrests (including 29,100 felony charges), and 422 million doses of fentanyl seized. OLS has drawn criticism from the federal government, state officials, and migrant advocates for its treatment of migrants, including the withholding of water and orders to push migrants back into the Rio Grande. Migrants have also been forced to cross unsafe areas of the Rio Grande due to razor wire set up by OLS, which has led to injuries and has caused migrants to become stuck in the wire. Texas Air National Guard members deployed in support of OLS have also criticized the operation's planning and execution, with nearly 30% of 250 participants in a 2022 Air National Guard survey reporting frustration with the operation's length, haste, and involuntary nature. Background and causes 

Texas has been launching border security operations with increasing escalation since 2005 starting with Operation Linebacker by Rick Perry. Timeline

Reactions

Public 
As of June 2023, polling from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin indicated that 59% of Texans backed the increased law enforcement deployments and border spending. The mission faced public criticism, including from state officials, following reports of pay delays, poor working and living conditions, a lack of proper equipment and facilities, and multiple suicides and suicide attempts among service members. According to reporting in the Army Times, soldiers were being housed in what it describes as cramped quarters, in converted recreational vehicles and semi-truck trailers, and also faced shortages in cold weather uniforms, medical equipment, and portable toilets. According to the Houston Chronicle, this was further compounded when it coincided with state cuts in educational benefits for service members to address budget shortfalls, reducing available tuition assistance by more than half. On January 13, 2022, a state district court judge in Travis County, Texas, granted Jesus Alberto Guzman Curipoma, of Ecuador, a writ of habeas corpus, ruling that the state program violated the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution. On February 25, 2022, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin affirmed the decision of the lower court. Federal government 

In July 2022, the United States Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation of OLS. According to a Texas Department of Public Safety email obtained by the Texas Tribune, the investigation is focused on reviewing whether OLS violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by programs that receive federal funds. On July 24, 2023, the DOJ filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Texas alleging that the construction of floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass by OLS without permission violated the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said that the barriers pose a hazard to navigation and public safety, present humanitarian concerns, and have sparked diplomatic protests by Mexico. In response, Texas argued that the area of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass does not fall under the Act and that the floating barriers are not a "structure" subject to the Act's requirements. Texas also argued that the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which allows states to engage in war if invaded, allows Texas to build the barriers due to Governor Abbott's invasion declaration. On September 6, the district court granted the DOJ's motion for a preliminary injunction and ordered Texas to move the barrier to the bank of the river and cease the installation of any new barriers. Texas has appealed the order to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which issued an administrative stay of the order pending a ruling on the appeal. Federal border patrol agents have cut and destroyed razor wire deployed by Texas as part of Operation Lone Star, but were halted from doing so except to provide emergency medical aid by a court decision on October 30, 2023. Other states 
On May 16, 2023, Abbott requested assistance from other state governors through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. As of June 2023, 14 states have sent national guard and law enforcement officers to Texas in response, with Florida providing the most additional personnel. Results 
As of July 2023, OLS has led to 394,200 migrant apprehensions, 31,300 criminal arrests (including 29,100 felony charges), and 422 million doses of fentanyl seized according to the governor's office. The state also reported busing tens of thousands of migrants to cities outside of Texas, contributing to the New York City migrant housing crisis among other places. However, a March 2022 investigation by ProPublica, the Texas Tribune, and the Marshall Project found that the Texas Department of Public Safety had counted over 2,000 arrests with no link to OLS or border security towards OLS's total. While those arrests were later removed following questioning from reporters, the report also found that DPS continues to include arrests in its OLS database with no clear link to the operation's stated goals. See also 

 Immigration policy of Joe Biden
 Immigration policy of Donald Trump
 Operation Jump Start
 List of conflicts involving the Texas Military

References

Mexico–United States border
Texas Military Forces
Constitutional law
Immigrant rights
Immigration