Archive for the ‘Illegal Immigration’ Category

Operation Lone Star Repels Illegal Immigrants From Crossing Border – Office of the Texas Governor

May 19, 2023 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 376,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 28,000 criminal arrests, with more than 25,000 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas law enforcement has seized over 416 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.

Texas has also bused more than 9,400 migrants to our nation's capital since April 2022, over 6,700 migrants to New York City since August 5, more than 1,900 migrants to Chicago since August 31, more than 1,000 migrants to Philadelphia since November 15, and 40 migrants to Denver on the first bus that departed this week (story, below).

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden's open border policies.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:

Governor Abbott Applauds Texas National Guard, DPS For Border Efforts

Governor Greg Abbott today thanked Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers for their selfless service at the southern border and provided an update on Texas' response to the ongoing border crisis during a press conference in Brownsville. During the Governors visit to the Texas-Mexico border, he applauded the hardworking men and women of Operation Lone Star, serving as part of Texas unprecedented response to fill in the gaps created by President Bidens reckless open border policies.

Im here in Brownsville today to thank the hardworking men women who are defending our border for their bravery and courage, said Governor Abbott. "These men and women in uniform here today, they're considered to be heroes by their fellow Americans. They should be proud of what they've done. I'm proud of what they've done."

Read more about Governor Abbott's visit to the border.

Governor Abbott Urges Nations Governors To Help Combat Border Crisis

Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday urged the nations Governors to help support Texas unprecedented border security efforts in the wake of President Joe Biden ending Title 42 last week and his continued refusal to enforce federal immigration laws. In letters sent to each of his fellow Governors, Governor Abbott requested support in responding to the ongoing border crisis through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which enables states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency.

The flood of illegal border activity invited by the Biden Administration flows directly across the southern border into Texas communities, but this crisis does not stop in our state, reads the letter. Join us in the mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and send all available law enforcement personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border to serve alongside our thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.

Read more about Governor Abbotts letters to Americas Governors.

WATCH: Governor Abbott Highlights Texas Leadership Amid President Bidens Border Crisis

Governor Abbott spoke with The Dana Show this week about the Biden Administrations continued denial of the magnitude of the border crisis created by the Presidents reckless open border policies. Following the Governors request of his fellow Governors to support Texas historic response, he emphasized how Operation Lone Star and the new Texas Tactical Border Force are successfully repelling illegal immigrants, with an increased presence at hotspots along the border, as well as miles of additional razor wire barriers.

We have Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on the Texas side of that razor wire, making sure no one gets through, said Governor Abbott. The National Guard, as well as law enforcement in other states, have seen what Texas is doing to block and prevent people from crossing our border illegally. Were getting requestsfrom Idaho and Florida alreadyfrom other states to lend their National Guard or their law enforcement officers, who believe our border should be secured and our sovereignty should be protected.

Governor Abbott Announces First Bus Of Migrants Arrives In Denver

Governor Greg Abbott yesterday announced the arrival of the first group of migrants bused to Denver, Colorado from Texas. The migrants were dropped off near Civic Center Park at 14th Street and Court Place on Thursday afternoon.

"Texas' overwhelmed and overrun border communities should not have to shoulder the flood of illegal immigration due to President Biden's reckless open border policies, like his mass catch and release without court dates or any way to track them," said Governor Abbott. "Until the President and his Administration step up and fulfill their constitutional duty to secure the border, the State of Texas will continue busing migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities like Denver to provide much-needed relief to our small border towns."

Read more about the arrival of the first migrant bus in Denver.

WATCH: Governor Abbott Emphasizes Continued Need For Operation Lone Star

On Thursday, Governor Abbott joined Fox News to provide an update on Texas unprecedented border crisis response following President Biden ending Title 42 last week. Operation Lone Star is successfully repelling migrants attempting to cross the Texas-Mexico border illegally, as Mexican drug cartels attempt to recalibrate their criminal smuggling operations to continue profiting off the chaos created by President Biden's open border policies.

[Cartels] are holding tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people back, trying to figure out where and how to cross the border, said Governor Abbott. Theres only one governmental entity in the entire United States of America that is repelling people who are trying to enter illegally, and thats the State of Texas.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Details Texas Effective Deterrence As Title 42 Ended

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez this week discussed with Fox News how Texas heightened border security efforts in preparation for the end of Title 42 helped stop thousands of illegal border crossings. He points to the miles of additional razor wire, the border wall, increased manpower, and a unified show of force as being effective deterrents from the State of Texas in spite of the federal governments inaction.

Governor Abbott took a proactive approach and deployed additional state resources and the Texas National Guard and DPS troopers to place razor wire along the Rio Grande in Brownsville, said Lt. Olivarez. We took a more aggressive response in trying to block these crossings, and we prevented thousands who could have potentially made it across the border illegally. The federal government should take a page out of Governor Abbotts border security playbook and use that to secure the border, because we saw how effective it was.

WATCH: DPS Regional Director Discusses President Bidens Handling Of Crisis

This week, DPS West Texas Regional Director Jose Sanchez discussed with Fox Business the lack of support by the federal government in addressing the ongoing border crisis. Because the Biden Administration has enabled record-levels of illegal immigration over the past two years, Texas has had to go to historic lengths and utilize all available state resources to respond to this ongoing crisis, especially leading up to President Biden ending Title 42 last Thursday.

We didnt know what to expect [with the end of Title 42], but thanks to Governor Abbott and DPS Director Steve McCraw for giving us the support we needed down here to help secure the border, today we actually woke up to a calm day, said Director Sanchez. We closed the holes with the amount of personnel we have along the border. We have proven throughout these past two years that when you have concertina wire, barriers, and a show of force on the border, it proves to be a deterrence.

WATCH: Texas National Guard Utilizes All Strategies To Deter Illegal Crossings

Texas National Guard soldiers are using all available strategies to deter illegal immigrants from crossing the border into Texas. Soldiers helped install miles of additional razor wire along the border and continue to maintain a strong presence behind the barriers. Texas National Guard drone teams also play a critical role in detecting illegal immigrants attempting to hide.

The drone teams make us extremely proficient, said Staff Sgt. Samuel Garza. The capabilities drone teams bring to the mission is that we can get eyes on from about a mile and a half out from us. We can coordinate our ground teams and work them in to have less resistance from [illegal immigrants] being captured.

Texas National Guard Foot Patrols Help Deter Illegal Border Crossings In Laredo

Texas National Guard soldiers helped deter a group of illegal immigrants from entering Texas near Laredo this week. Soldiers responded to sensors alerting law enforcement partners of the group attempting to climb the riverbank into the thick brush along the Rio Grande River. Once the group of illegal immigrants saw the soldiers, they turned around and swam back to the Mexico side.

WATCH: Human Smuggler Leads DPS Troopers On High-Speed Vehicle Pursuit

A human smuggler led DPS troopers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit in Kinney County earlier this week. The smuggler was eventually stopped and arrested. He is an illegal immigrant from Honduras and will be charged with evading and smuggling of persons. Four illegal immigrants from Mexico were referred to Border Patrol.

WATCH: Operation Lone Star Showcases Reinforcements Prior To Title 42s End

In the leadup to Title 42 ending last week, DPS troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers worked together to reinforce border barriers near Brownsville to deter migrants from crossing the border illegally into Texas.

DPS Trooper Stops Group Of 30 Chinese Nationals Attempting To Cross Border

A DPS trooper working operations in Roma encountered a group of Chinese nationals walking alongside the road this week. The group, which totaled 30 in all, was stopped and referred to Border Patrol.

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Operation Lone Star Repels Illegal Immigrants From Crossing Border - Office of the Texas Governor

Honduran national in US illegally and released by Biden admin charged with raping teenage girl – Fox News

A Honduran national who police say entered the United States illegally in 2021 has been charged with raping a teenager in Alabama.

Geovani Grevi Rivera-Zavala, 29, has been charged with rape and is being held without bail following an alleged sexual assault on a teenage girl inside a Prattville, Alabama, restaurant last weekend, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

Alabama police said in court that the teenage victim had been eating with relatives when she noticed Rivera-Zavala staring at her from across the restaurant.

The girl later walked to the bathroom, where she saw another woman she didnt know, and when that woman left, Rivera-Zavala, who she also did not know, allegedly entered the bathroom, locked the door, forced the teen into a stall and raped her.

KATHY HOCHUL COMPLAINS NEW YORK 'BURSTING AT THE SEAMS' WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

(L) Geovani Grevi Rivera-Zavala (R) Autauga County Jail (Autauga County Sheriff's Office)

Kaitlyn Sweat, a Prattville Police Department investigator, testified that the girl tried to fight her attacker off during the incident and told him, "No" multiple times.

The girl is said to have told her relatives what happened when she returned to the table, at which point police were called, and Rivera-Zavala was identified as he tried to leave the restaurant.

Sweat says that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed an immigration detainer on Rivera-Zavala, who said in court that government sources told her the 29-year-old from Honduras had entered the U.S. illegally at Eagle Pass, Texas, in November 2021.

BORDER PATROL ARREST 16 PEOPLE ON FBI TERROR WATCH LIST IN APRIL AT SOUTHERN BORDER

Autauga County Jail in Prattville, Alabama (Google Earth)

WSFA-TV reported that Rivera-Zavala was using a different name at the time he crossed into the United States and was fingerprinted and then released into the country.

"Were not interested in negotiating with the feds," District Attorney CJ Robinson told Autauga District Judge Jessica Sanders, who denied bail for Rivera-Zavala.

"They can take custody of his body when DOC (Department of Corrections) is done with him. We arent going to negotiate for a lesser charge so the feds can deport him."

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Migrants at the front of the line are processed for entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (Fox News Digital / Jon Michael Raasch)

Rivera-Zavala faces a Class A felony rape charge that could result in 10 to 99 years to life in prison.

The U.S. Border Patrol reported 458,000 migrant encounters during fiscal year 2020 and then 1.7 million in fiscal year 2021. In fiscal year 2022, the number of migrant encounters at the border ballooned to 2.3 million, and border authorities encountered more than 718,000 migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the first 100 days of fiscal year 2023.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Honduran national in US illegally and released by Biden admin charged with raping teenage girl - Fox News

In April, Monthly Arrests of Illegal Aliens in Texas Exceeded 100000 … – The Texan

Austin, TX, 30 mins ago In April, border agents in Texas patrol sectors encountered more than 100,000 illegal immigrants in a single month for the first time this year.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published its monthly operational update this week, providing enforcement statistics for the last full month the Title 42 public health order was in effect. The order expired Thursday, May 11.

The agency said there were 106,332 arrests between ports of entry in the Big Bend, Del Rio, El Paso, Laredo, and Rio Grande sectors. The agency reported 88,304 arrests in March in Texas sectors.

The Office of Field Operations reported 14,672 encounters at the Laredo ports of entry and 3,309 at the El Paso ports in April.

Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has touted the Biden administrations enforcement of Title 8, the regular immigration laws that have not been in use due to the pandemic-era Title 42 policy allowing the government to rapidly expel foreign nationals with no legal basis to be in the country.

Now, illegal immigrants could face a five-year ban on reentry and criminal prosecution. Mayorkas has also indicated that those who try to seek asylum outside the legal pathways will face a presumption of ineligibility for further asylum claims that will make it more difficult to establish a legal basis for them to be in the country.

The spike in illegal immigration included an average of more than 10,000 encounters daily in the days leading up to the expiration of Title 42. Encounters then dropped to a daily average of 4,400 in the days that followed.

In a news release, CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller commented on the agencys transition back to Title 8 policies.

As part of our planning for the end of the Title 42 public health order, we have surged resources, technology, and personnel to safely and orderly manage challenges along the southern border while at the same time, maintaining a persistent focus on our other missions to ensure national and economic security, Miller said.

The CBP workforce including the U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations have the experience and professionalism to continue to adapt to changing dynamics. Along with the support of personnel from across DHS and across the federal government, we will continue to meet the moment.

Including encounters at field offices and ports of entry, there were 211,401 encounters in April, an increase of 10 percent from 191,956 in March, per CBP.

CBP added that 28,738 foreign nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were released into the interior in April based on the parole policy created in October and expanded in January. President Biden and Mayorkas contend these lawful pathways to entry help keep illegal immigration at bay.

Last month, 39 percent of the unique encounters along the southwestern U.S. border were with Mexican nationals and those from Central American countries. In addition, 18 percent of the unique encounters were with Venezuelan nationals. Unique encounters include those who have not already been encountered in the preceding 12 months.

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In April, Monthly Arrests of Illegal Aliens in Texas Exceeded 100000 ... - The Texan

Fix illegal immigration? How about ending the restriction on youth … – Idaho Freedom Foundation

Last legislative session, lawmakers got hung up over a toothless proposal on illegal immigration. The measure, Senate Joint Memorial 101, passed the Senate 25-10 but drew strong objections from conservatives who decried it for promoting amnesty for illegal aliens. The issue did not get a hearing in the House.

The troublesome section of the memorial asks Congress to pass immigration reforms that include An effective process by which persons currently present in the United States without lawful status and who are gainfully employed and their immediate family can obtain work authorization or residency status, without a pathway to United States citizenship, provided said persons have no criminal history beyond their immigration-related violations, and provided further that an appropriate fine is assessed and paid in satisfaction of their immigration-related violations.

The proposal got support from southern Idaho Republicans and the leftist-Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry. They argued about the availability of workers and tended to view with skepticism the idea that the U.S. will, or should, deport the 20 million illegals living here.

But the crux of the illegal immigration controversy is that Americans dont want to do the work that farmworkers do. Ive heard this same complaint over and over for years. Americans just wont tend crops, prune trees, set siphon tubes, and so on.

The question that needs to be asked and rarely is is why? Why dont Americans want to do hard work? Why wont they work in agriculture, where the domestication of livestock and cultivation of plants has been the basis of thriving societies and cultures for thousands of years? And what can be done about it?

Most Americans of a certain age started working young. When I was 10, I climbed ladders to rooftops, crawled under houses, and into attics to fix air conditioners and commercial refrigeration equipment. When my dad was 10, he worked at a car repair shop. Most successful people I know talk glowingly about their experiences as youngsters learning a trade or skill and earning money. Todays youth are hard-pressed to recount similar experiences.

Today, youth employment in America is frowned upon and, in large part, illegal. For every farmer wondering where theyll get the next generation of workers, theres a youngster sitting on a couch playing video games and streaming TV shows.

Youth employment is governed by a complex intermingling of state and federal laws. Idaho law basically prohibits youngsters under 14 from working. The Fair Labor Standards Act, which was initially designed to cover interstate employment matters, is now used to block youth employment in places where the government considers equipment dangerous a term so broad as to disincentivize restaurants from hiring kids to bus tables out of fear a regulator will fine the owner for also having a meat cutter in the kitchen.

Federal law has also been misinterpreted as applying to any business where money is being transacted across state lines, and that can be as trivial as a credit card reader sending and receiving transaction data. Idaho also requires employers of minors to keep a separate record of every young person in their employ. Both laws tie working hours to public school hours, even if a youngster is homeschooled or attends private school.

Young people who don't want to work grow into adults who also dont want to work. And that has exacerbated Americas employment troubles of late. Moreover, the heavy emphasis from public schools on kids going to college is incongruent with a policy that forbids work; it virtually guarantees that young people will emerge from their post-secondary schooling with college debt.

Eliminating restrictions on youth employment by the state would put Idaho at odds with federal law, yet the list of benefits for youngsters is extensive. It could help kids:

Idaho should end restrictions on youth employment. It is a solution that could very well be considered part of the larger question of how to deal with the lack of agricultural workers while also further making Idaho the place young people want to stay and raise their children who would benefit from the opportunities Idaho has to offer.

Link:
Fix illegal immigration? How about ending the restriction on youth ... - Idaho Freedom Foundation

Under the Biden administration’s ‘parole’ program, has illegal … – WisconsinWatch.org

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Since the expansion of a federal immigration parole program, illegal immigration from the four countries covered by the program has decreased by more than 90%.

The program, which formerly applied only to Venezuela, was extended to Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in early January. It allows up to 30,000 migrants per month who secure a financial sponsor to stay in the U.S. on a temporary period of parole of up to two years. The program remains in effect pending a ruling on a Republican-led court challenge.

In December 2022, Southwest border encounters with migrants from the four countries totalled 87,531. In March 2023, these encounters fell to 3,827 a 95.6% drop. Overall encounters declined too, from 252,012 in December 2022 to 191,899 in March 2023 fewer than the 222,574 encounters recorded in March 2022.

U.S. officials expect encounters to rise following the May 11 ending of Title 42, which allowed immigration authorities to expel migrants without an asylum hearing.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such asthis one.

Sources

White HouseFACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Border Enforcement Actions

US Citizenship and Immigration ServicesProcesses for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans

ReutersBiden policy allowing migrants to enter US challenged by states

Google DocsSouthwest border encounters (Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela) December 2022 to March 2023

US Customs and Border ProtectionSouthwest Land Border Encounters

Department of Homeland SecurityCircumvention of Lawful Pathways

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Under the Biden administration's 'parole' program, has illegal ... - WisconsinWatch.org