Austin News

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing efforts in collaboration with the Trump Administration to secure the Texas border. This initiative aims to prevent the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into the state and to combat transnational criminal activities.

Since initiating Operation Lone Star, more than 532,100 illegal immigrants have been apprehended, alongside over 52,400 criminal arrests with 44,500 felony charges. The operation is also tackling the fentanyl crisis, with Texas law enforcement having seized over 668 million lethal doses of the drug.

Governor Abbott emphasized the role of K-9 units in border security. On a social media platform, he described the cooperation between Texas National Guard soldiers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) K-9 units in securing the southern border.

Highlighting a recent joint operation, Governor Abbott announced that over 40 members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang were arrested. The state had previously launched a statewide operation to disrupt TdA's criminal activities and designate them as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Texas DPS captured Anderson Ronaldo Reyes Giron, a fugitive from the state's 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List, in Austin. Reyes Giron, a Honduran national, faced charges for deadly conduct and theft of property.

In Laredo, DPS arrested a Mexican national transporting cocaine and black tar heroin, valued at over $205,000, during a traffic stop. The drugs were found concealed in a vehicle's hidden compartment.

DPS K-9 units, in collaboration with Border Patrol, tracked and detained a group of illegal immigrants in Webb County. The K-9 unit located four individuals from Mexico hiding in dense brush.

In Val Verde County, DPS arrested a convicted felon, Kiin Tuma, for human smuggling and possession of a firearm by a felon. The vehicle stop revealed five illegal immigrants, from Colombia, El Salvador, and Honduras, hidden in the truck's bed.

The Texas National Guard recently assisted U.S. Border Patrol in the apprehension of three illegal immigrants suspected of entering Texas through Mexico.

Furthermore, a K-9 medical care training session was conducted to equip Texas National Guard soldiers, CBP personnel, and DPS troopers with skills to provide medical care to K-9 units.

Texas National Guard soldiers are also active in riverine patrols, as highlighted by Sergeant William Brooks, aiming to stop illegal immigration through the Rio Grande River by conducting patrol boat operations.