Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, issued an order deploying an extra 545 members of the National Guard to help with the most recent spike of migrants coming from Mexico. The Operation Lone Star deployment takes place days before the anticipated termination of the Title 42 migrant removal program on May 11.
“These extra forces will support the thousands of Texas National Guard service members who have been working with state and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts in securing the border, ending the smuggling of weapons, drugs, and human beings into Texas, and avoid, detect, and interdict international criminal activity between each of the ports of entry,” according to the statement.
Officials from the Texas Military Department said in writing. “Our capabilities have been increased to include boat teams that monitor hundreds of river miles, drones along with helicopters that spot illegal activities from the air, and brush teams, security checkpoints, and roaming patrols that prevent and stop unlawful smuggling of persons, narcotics, and weapons into Texas.”
Over 5,100 migrants who crossed the border from Mexico were apprehended on Sunday by Border Patrol officers in the five Texas-based sectors, according to a law enforcement source. Of the approximately 8,700 people that crossed along the whole southwest border with Mexico, this amounts to around 60%.
Prior to the anticipated termination of the CDC’s Title 42 migrant expulsion policy this week, there was a significant increase in the number of migrants entering the country from Mexico last week. According to Breitbart Texas, the number of arrests on Friday and Saturday approached 9,000 each day.
Raul Ortiz, the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, said that 54,951 migrants had been apprehended during the previous seven days. Additionally, 18,698 other migrants were labeled as “got-aways.”
According to a law enforcement official, authorities have captured over 1.4 million migrants alongside the southwest border so far this fiscal year. The number of migrants who escaped increased to around 453,000, putting the total confirmed migrants who crossed the border this fiscal year to over 1.8 million people in just under seven months.
