The\nsouthern border continues to worsen as the Biden administration\u2019s immigration\npolicies allow for scores of illegal aliens to enter the United States. As the\npressure builds on states and localities bearing the brunt of President Joe\nBiden\u2019s immigration agenda, local leaders are stepping up to prioritize their\nconstituents\u2019 safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 6, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) set in motion Operation Lone Star<\/a> to curb the smuggling of illegal aliens and drugs into the state. The enforcement initiative combines DPS and the Texas National Guard. Utilizing air, ground, marine, and tactical border security to monitor vulnerable areas and prevent Mexican cartels and other criminals from transporting illicit narcotics and smuggling migrants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Governor\nAbbott explained the impetus for the operation, saying, \u201cThe crisis at our\nsouthern border continues to escalate because of Biden Administration policies\nthat refuse to secure the border and invite illegal immigration.\u201d He continued,\n\u201cTexas supports legal immigration but will not be an accomplice to the open\nborder policies that cause, rather than prevent, a humanitarian crisis in our\nstate and endanger the lives of Texans. We will surge the resources and law\nenforcement personnel needed to confront this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Texas governor is not the only officeholder in the state to sound off about the Biden administration’s troubling immigration decisions. Border town mayors Bruno Lozano (D) of Del Rio<\/a> and Jim Darling (I) of McAllen<\/a> have expressed their concerns about the mass influx of migrants being released into their communities as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the National Guard does not conduct direct immigration enforcement, their presence allows<\/a> for additional surveillance to detect illegal border crossings or other unlawful activity, freeing up immigration agents to patrol and effectuate arrests. Additionally, the garrisoned troops provide needed security for exposed areas of the border that do not have adequate barriers. Moreover, the increase of DPS personnel patrolling south Texas will likely increase apprehensions of human smugglers and drug traffickers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Operation\nLone Star is a step in the right direction. However, more can be done to\nimprove border security and immigration policy at the federal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n