LWVTX Blog

By Diane Taisin of LWV Dallas and Nancy Kral of LWV Houston

LWV Texas has a long history of supporting immigrants and immigrants’ rights. We have previously stated that LWV Texas recognizes that immigrants bring diversity and enrichment to our state. The humane and ethical treatment of immigrants at our borders is an essential part of our country’s rule of law and the development of new residents and citizens.

In March 2021, Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to respond to a rise in illegal immigration. The declaration directed the Department of Public Safety to use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent criminal activity along the border. LWV Texas wholeheartedly supports the rule of law.

Since March 2021, Operation Lone Star has been expanded and has cost Texans over $4.5 Billion dollars. Operation Lone Star costs Texas taxpayers $2.5 million every week according to The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and The Marshall Project. Operation Lone Star now includes participation from National Guard troops and the Texas Military Department. Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities have been opened for detaining “trespassing” migrants. While originally focusing on single males, it now includes detention of females. Thousands of migrants, including young children, have been bused by Republican Governor Abbott, at Texas’ expense, to cities run by members of the Democratic Party. This has been done with no cooperation and consultation with the federal government or with the cities being sent the migrants, creating a very difficult situation for both the cities and especially the asylum seekers.

The latest application of Operation Lone Star has been to launch a massive string of barrier buoys, equipped with chainsaw devices, to stop irregular crossings along the Rio Grande at the cost of $850,000. The Department of Justice recently sued Texas, arguing that it is the federal government’s responsibility to enforce immigration laws, the buoys impede transportation along an international water way, and it is not constitutional for a state to take these measures. The Justice Department recently won the case, and Gov. Abbott immediately announced his plans to appeal.

LWV Texas believes the following:

1. The federal government has the sole authority to enforce immigration laws.
2. Operation Lone Star has expanded to a program that now creates a separate and unequal state criminal justice system that targets migrants and US citizens near the border for arrest and prosecution.
3. Per US law and international agreements, people have the right to ask for asylum in the United States.
4. The buoys currently placed by the State of Texas are illegal, as was recently ruled in federal court by US District Judge David Ezra. He found no basis in federal law to support Texas’s claim of sovereignty and that “several constitutional provisions” establish clear federal authority over the matter.
5. The buoys create a very dangerous and inhumane situation for both asylum seekers, residents, and citizens. The buoys also violate federal Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.
6. Operation Lone Star has created diplomatic protests from Mexico. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has called the barriers “inhumane.”

We encourage Governor Abbott to immediately end Operation Lone Star and work to support US immigration policies, procedures, and laws. All citizens, residents, migrants, and asylum seekers must be treated equally in the eyes of the law and be treated with dignity and respect.