Red state crackdown on illegal immigration results in nearly 50,000 criminal arrests

according to Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbottstate efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and Tren de Aragua (TdA) migrant gang activity have reduced illegal crossings by nearly 90% and resulted in nearly 50,000 criminal arrests.

Abbott’s office said the Texas-led campaign shouted “Operation Lonestar”, which was first launched in March 2021 and has involved more than a dozen other Republican states, has resulted in 530,400 illegal immigrant arrests and more than 49,900 criminal arrests, with more than 42,900 criminal charges.

During this operation, Texas also became the first state to build a border wall on its own, continuing construction of the border wall at strategic points despite President Biden putting a stop to it in the first days of his administration.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has touted his state’s efforts to curb illegal immigration while criticizing the Biden administration over its border policies. (Getty/Office of Governor Greg Abbott)

“Our top priority is the safety of Texans, even against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua,” he added. Abbott told X. “We will not allow this gang to operate or be based in Texas.”

The governor’s office also said that during Operation Lonestar, Texas law enforcement seized more than $620 million. lethal doses of fentanylwhich they said is “enough to kill all the men, women and children in the United States, Mexico and Canada combined.”

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The office noted that Abbott appointed TdA, which violent crime has been sweeping across the country, a foreign terrorist organization and launched a strike team to target, identify and arrest members of the group.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested four members of the TdA crossing the border on New Year’s Eve, one of whom was identified as a possible high-ranking member of the gang.

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Tren Aragua members arrested in Texas. (Fox News)

The statement also said that Texas has transported a total of 119,400 migrants to Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles, all of whom have migrant sanctuary policies in place

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Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that Operation Lone Star has cost Texas more than $11 billion, all of which was spent on efforts to secure the border, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard and DPS troopers, transporting migrants. in sanctuary cities, installing strategic barriers, cracking down on violent gangs like TdA and building a new border wall.

“Because of these efforts, Texas has decreased illegal trespasses in the state by 87 percent,” Mahaleris said. “Texas has held the line against the Biden-Harris border crisis for the past four years, and Governor Abbott looks forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump and his incoming administration to protect our state and nation.”