Texas Governor Greg Abbott has launched “Operation Lone Star,” apprehending illegal immigrants who have entered his state and sending them to other Democratic-led cities. Shortly after Joe Biden entered the White House, Texas began this initiative, sending illegal immigrants to various states, according to reports. Governor Abbott has now stated that he will intensify this process with the arrival of Trump. Texas has reportedly spent over $124 million in sending illegal immigrants to different cities, spending more than $12 per person to send migrants to sanctuary cities. This data, provided by Texas, is noted as being accurate up until January 10, 2025. During Biden’s tenure, Abbott’s bus program under “Operation Lone Star” began in April 2022, sending detained illegal immigrants to Democratic-led cities.
According to The Guardian, Texas has sent over 46,000 illegal immigrants to New York, 12,500 to Washington D.C., more than 37,000 to Chicago, 19,200 to Denver, 15,000 to Los Angeles, and 3,400 to Philadelphia. These individuals were reportedly transported in vehicles without proper care for their basic human rights, such as without shoes and jackets, and exposed to temperatures below freezing.
In 2023, the Texas legislature passed a wide-reaching law to strengthen Operation Lone Star, including one law that imposes state-level criminal penalties for any non-citizen crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally, and establishes a state-level deportation system. This law was seen as a direct challenge to federal immigration authority. Despite attempts by the federal government to block this, Texas has been carrying out this work for over 18 months.
With the Biden administration’s stricter border enforcement, the bus program has been reduced. Recently, due to tightened asylum rights, the number of immigrants and refugees has significantly decreased. When Trump took office and formed an anti-immigration team, Abbott announced that his state would redirect funds previously allocated for border security towards other priorities, as the federal government would now handle enforcement more strictly.
New York residents have expressed anger at the sight of illegal immigrants being housed in hotels that they themselves cannot afford, and local school teachers have raised concerns about their classrooms being overcrowded. In Denver, there has been widespread opposition regarding the expense for newcomers while homeless residents have struggled for basic needs. Chicago residents have shown dissatisfaction, arguing that while the city is willing to invest millions in supporting immigrants, there has been no investment in infrastructure and support for the Black community.
Governor Abbott, during his appearance on Fox News Sunday, discussed a lawsuit filed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams against the bus companies involved in Texas’ immigrant transportation strategy. Abbott stated that Mayor Adams was suing the wrong party, and that the real culprit behind New York’s immigrant crisis was President Biden. Abbott argued, “If the mayor really wants to reduce the number of illegal immigrants coming to New York, he should be suing Biden, not the bus companies.” Meanwhile, Mayor Adams of New York has also faced criticism from locals after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on immigrants.