Officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have expanded their roles significantly; they’re now actively involved in tracking down cartel smugglers, monitoring illegal crossings through remote areas, and assisting federal agents in breaking up international gang networks as part of Operation Lone Star 2.0. This collaborative effort between Trump and Abbott has notably reduced unrest in December to levels we haven’t seen in decades, leading to a dramatic drop in the record-breaking surge of crossings experienced during the Biden administration.
Even with the major shifts in immigration policy under President Donald Trump, DPS units continue their critical work to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Their collaboration with federal authorities has helped bring illegal border crossings down to the lowest rates in years.
Operation Lone Star 2.0, which evolved from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s original border security initiative that launched in 2021, has broadened the focus of the state’s top law enforcement agency. They are not only intercepting human trafficking on highways but also conducting patrols on agricultural land in remote counties while targeting suspected terrorists and foreign gang activities across Texas.
Rather than reverting police to their traditional roles of enforcing traffic laws and responding to incidents on the state’s roads, Abbott has kept them actively engaged in border security.
Reportedly, the first full year under Trump’s tougher border enforcement showed significant results. Customs and Border Protection officials stated that about 6,400 undocumented individuals were apprehended at the Southwest border in December, a stark contrast to around 50,000 in December the previous year and approximately 250,000 in December 2023.
Continuing Operation Lone Star in this “2.0” phase seems beneficial, aligning with the Trump administration’s comprehensive border security strategy that heavily involves multiple local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, even those not typically focused on border issues.
As some Border Patrol agents are reassigned to larger deportation operations in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, Texas DPS agents remain dedicated to covering some of the most rugged and isolated areas, utilizing foot, ATV, and horseback patrols. They’re also bringing in K-9 units and advanced drone technology to bolster border patrol efforts.
Officers positioned on rural highways have zeroed in on smugglers using commercial vehicles to transport illegal immigrants away from the immediate border area. Although the number of crossings and smuggling attempts has declined since January, some enforcement hurdles have compounded challenges for smugglers.
Those attempting to evade Border Patrol checkpoints by crossing through farms must now dodge both traditional Border Patrol teams and Highway Patrol agents, who are pursuing on various vehicles and on foot.
This new year began with a notable arrest by the DPS Border Mounted Patrol at a ranch in Maverick County. Two illegal aliens were captured with the assistance of a tracking K-9 after a ten-mile chase. Comparatively, during the height of the 2023 crisis, nearly 5,000 illegal aliens were being captured daily in the county, while recent numbers show a sharp decline.
DPS’s operations extend beyond the border, involving complex investigations into foreign gangs and criminal networks alongside the FBI, ICE, and Homeland Security. In November, Texas DPS agents played a pivotal role in a Joint Task Force operation that led to the arrest of 51 members of the violent Toren de Aragua gang at an illegal nightclub in San Antonio.
Additionally, in late November, a man from Afghanistan, who had been resettled in the U.S. under President Biden’s program, was apprehended by DPS and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force due to making online terrorist threats. A video on TikTok showed him seemingly assembling an explosive device while threatening to attack a building in Fort Worth.
DPS Lt. Chris Olivares remarked on the cooperation among state and federal agencies in apprehending potentially dangerous individuals, emphasizing that their unified efforts enhance response capabilities to threats against community safety.
