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September 9, 2022 | 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 more than 302,600 migrant apprehensions and more than 19,700 criminal arrests, with more than 17,200 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 340.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.

Texas has also bused over 7,900 migrants to our nation's capital since April and over 2,200 migrants to New York City since August 5. Since last Wednesday, more than 300 migrants from Texas have arrived in Chicago. The busing mission is providing much-needed relief to our overwhelmed border communities.

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 Biden's open border policies.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:

Governor Abbott Increases Reward For Reporting Criminal Stash Houses

Governor Abbott last week announced that his Public Safety Office, in conjunction with DPS, has increased the reward amount of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification of stash houses used in transnational criminal activity. The Texas Stash House Program encourages Texans to help combat transnational crime by anonymously reporting information on stash houses used to facilitate human trafficking, drug smuggling, and smuggling of people.

"As President Biden's dangerous open border policies continue to allow cartels and other criminal organizations to operate freely in our communities, it is more important than ever that Texans step up and report suspicious activity," said Governor Abbott. "These stash houses contain people or drugs that may haveotherwise made their way across Texas and the nation because of the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border."

Read thepress release.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Discusses Increased RewardFor Reporting Stash Houses

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined the Rio Grande Valleys KRGV to discuss the new increased reward now being offered by the State of Texas for information on stash house criminal activity. The reward has been increased to $5,000 for information leading to a bust.

Its just an incentive for the public to actually report this activity taking place so we can try to prevent this criminal activity thats taking place in communities, Lt. Olivarez said.

WATCH: DPS Discover 14 Illegal Immigrants During Traffic Stop In La Pryor

A DPS trooper initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle hauling a travel trailer for a traffic violation in La Pryor. During the stop, troopers discovered 14 illegal immigrants. The driver was charged with smuggling of persons. All 14 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

PHOTO: DPS Help Locate Stash House Hiding 21 Illegal Immigrants, Narcotics

DPS special agents, with assistance from Border Patrol, located a stash house in Webb County on Tuesday. Inside the house were 21 illegal immigrants16 males and five femalesall from Guatemala. Agents also discovered seven bundles of narcotics. One person was arrested and charged. All 21 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

WATCH: Newsmax Embeds With DPS Aircraft Division On Border

Newsmax border correspondent Jaeson Jones embeds with elite DPS Aviation Division. Newsmax's 40-minute border crisis special provides a deeper look at the ongoing chaos at the border caused by President Bidens open border policies.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Counters False White House Claims About Secure Border

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Newsmax to counter White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's claim that illegal immigrants are not just walking across the border.

They are walking across, in fact, said Lt. Olivarez. Once they get to Mexico from their country of origin, theyre paying a criminal organization to be smuggled into the United States, where they have to cross a river or in most severe cases, theyre having to cross the desert or mountainous terrain, like in West Texas.

WATCH: Smuggler Leads DPS On Pursuit, Over 20 Illegal Immigrants Bail Out

A human smuggler led DPS troopers on a vehicle pursuit in Mission, Texas. After running several red lights, the smuggler and nearly two dozen illegal immigrants bailed out and ran toward the brush. Fourteen illegal immigrants were apprehended, including two Chinese nationals.

Texas National Guard Employs Land, Water Resource To Interdict Illegal Activity

Texas National Guard soldiers in the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) employ both land and water resources to interdict illegal activity along the border. The TRU team uses fast boats on the water, while a team of soldiers on land in the brush stop criminal activity and illegal entry into the U.S.

Both teams radio Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in the area for faster, more closely coordinated efforts. Border Patrol agents working cameras and agents on patrol can provide locations in real time to the TRU team. The TRU teams combined efforts every week average hundreds of turnbacks and roughly 50 apprehensions, which include human and drug smugglers, cartel members, and low-level criminals.

We see a good amount of traffic, by the time our boats are in the water, there are usually groups who have already crossed, said Sgt. Castillo, a member of the boat patrols. For those criminals or illegal crossers undeterred by the boats, our guys in the brush, they cover down.

WATCH: DPS Discover 16 Illegal Immigrants In Passenger Van During Traffic Stop

A DPS trooper discovered 16 illegal immigrants during a traffic stop along U.S. 90 in Kinney County. The driver was charged with smuggling of persons. All 16 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

See original here:
Operation Lone Star Buses More Than 10000 Migrants To Sanctuary Cities - Office of the Texas Governor

BERLIN Angela Merkel, who served as chancellor of Germany for 16 years, will release her political memoirs in 2024.

Her publisher announced Thursday that the former chancellor, who is co-authoring the book with her longtime adviser Beate Baumann, will provide an exclusive, personal look into her political life and work.

"I am pleased to reflect on central decisions and situations of my political work in my book ... and make them understandable to a broad public, also with recourse to my personal biography," the ex-chancellor said in a note released by publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch.

Merkel, 68, steered Germany safely through a succession of crises including the global financial crisis, the migrant crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking back at her chancellorship shortly after she left office, she said that while the 16 years in office had fulfilled her, they had also been challenging because of the constant need to pay attention to, prevent, or react to crises.

Merkel, a former scientist who grew up in former communist East Germany, became Germany's first female chancellor on Nov. 22, 2005.

Named "The World's Most Powerful Woman" by Forbes magazine for 10 years in a row, Merkel has been cast as a powerful defender of liberal values in the West. Millions of women admire her for breaking through the glass ceiling of male dominance in politics, and she's been lauded as an impressive role model for girls.

However, since Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine in February, the former chancellor has also been accused of appeasing and engaging too closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She has rejected that criticism saying she always tried to work toward calamity being averted.

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Ex-chancellor Merkel's memoirs to be published in 2024 - Star Tribune

YUMA Governor Doug Ducey today celebrated the installation of shipping containers in gaps on Arizonas southern border, saying they have helped bring additional safety and security to Yuma and other communities.

Last time I stood along the border here in Yuma, multiple migrants crossed the border into Arizona illegally right in front of us, the governor said, near the Morelos Dam with the double-stacked shipping containers behind him. Now, 130 shipping containers fill border wall gaps that were previously wide open for dangerous cartel activity and illegal entry into our nation.

The governor, joined by state and local officials, surveyed some of the 3,820-feet of border barrier constructed last month, and spoke with local law enforcement and community leaders about how the strategy has assisted their efforts.

Its not a permanent solution. No one said it would be. But these containers have helped make it harder to get into our state illegally, the governor said. Migrant traffic is funneled to a few select spots, allowing Border Patrol to focus their limited resources.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot thanked the governor and agreed that the shipping containers have helped him keep Yuma safe.

The border barrier helps put a stop to the revolving door for the cartels that has been the southern border, the sheriff said. Yuma area law enforcement has been greatly impacted and has dealt with an increase in trespassing calls, criminal damage cases, 911 calls for rescues in the desert, and 50 death investigations this year. Governor Ducey is a true partner to law enforcement and has prioritized our well-being and ability to do our jobs.

The fast-moving Yuma Border Barrier Mission was launched when Governor Ducey issued an Executive Order directing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to immediately fill the gaps in the Yuma border wall. The project was funded through the states monumental border security legislation, forged in partnership with legislative leaders this year.

Our Emergency Management team was charged with the coordination of efforts in filling gaps in the border wall, said Maj. Gen. Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, the Adjutant General of Arizona and Director of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, We are proud to collaborate with our multiple state and federal partners to facilitate the efficient use of state resources and provide support to our communities.

The Yuma Sector has been one of the hardest hit areas for migrant traffic and drug trafficking.

The Yuma community has been put at risk and overburdened for far too long, said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls. While the decision-makers in Washington let border communities fend for themselves, Governor Ducey has been by our side offering solutions since day one.

Migrants crossing the border wade through farmland, disrupting Yumas vital agriculture industry. Lettuce farmer Cory Mellon knows firsthand the toll the broken border has taken on farms and the community.

Yuma is a small town, were not built to sustain the amount of people traversing our community, Mellon said. On our farm, weve seen the increase in migrants crossing. Its not safe for our workers or for the migrants. Im grateful for Governor Duceys leadership in taking action to secure the border.

The Yuma sector saw a 1,200 percent increase in encounters in Fiscal Year 2021 compared to the year before. Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines said this is a problem Governor Ducey had a solution for.

The Yuma Border Barrier is working, he said. Weve seen less and less people attempting to cross. The containers have helped regain operational control of our nations southern border. Governor Duceys strategy has allowed law enforcement to concentrate resources and protect our communities.

BACKGROUND

On August 12, Governor Ducey issued an executive order authorizing the Arizona Department of Military Affairs to initiate operations to erect a barrier to close the gaps in the Southern Border wall. The Yuma Border Barrier was completed August 23 and consists of 130 double-stacked shipping containers which are reinforced with 4 feet of razor wire at the top. The shipping containers are 9 by 40 feet and weigh 8,800 pounds. The containers will be linked together and have been welded shut. In total, the border barrier stands 22 feet tall.

Governor Ducey signed on June 30, 2022 the most meaningful border security legislation in Arizona history, a plan to make record investments in protecting the state from the unprecedented crisis confronting our communities and law enforcement. The fiscal year 2023 budget, dedicates a record $564 million to help to secure our border with a physical barrier, address critical public safety staffing shortages, and modernize the technology and public safety equipment to target criminal activity and keep our citizens safe.

On May 11, 2022, the governor called on the leaders of social media companies to step up and take action to protect youth from cartel recruiting messages luring them into transnational human smuggling activity.

On April 19, 2022, Governor Ducey and 25 other governors launched the American Governors' Border Strike Force, a partnership to do what the federal government wont: secure the southern border. Governors Ducey and Abbott joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News to talk about the initiative that same day.

On April 1, 2022, Governor Ducey called on the Biden administration to maintain Title 42 to protect public health and safety.

In his January State of the State address, Governor Ducey proposed the idea for the American Governors' Border Strike Force. He said, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and I are teaming up to form the American Governors' Border Strike Force a commitment between states to do what the Biden administration is unwilling to do: Patrol and secure our border.

On December 7, 2021, the governor surged and repositioned Arizonas public safety resources to address the Biden Border Crisis in Yuma, Arizona.

On November 30, 2021, Governor Ducey sent a team of the states top law enforcement officers to meet with their counterparts in Texas to discuss the current border crisis, share best practices, and discuss future partnerships, including the American Governors Border Strike Force. The delegation included Major General Kerry Muehlenbeck, Department of Public Safety Director Heston Silbert and Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer.

On October 6, 2021, Governor Ducey joined Governor Abbott and eight other governors in Mission, Texas, for a border security briefing and press conference, where they detailed a ten-point plan for the Biden administration to resolve the border crisis.

On September 20, 2021, Governor Ducey and 25 fellow governors requested an urgent meeting with President Biden to find meaningful solutions to the border crisis. Their hope was to meet with the president and his team directly to discuss actions the administration can take. Secretary Mayorkas responded two months later on November 24, but has not taken meaningful actions.

In July 2021, Governor Ducey successfully lobbied the Biden administration to continue Title 42 border protections and called on Congress to protect Title 42 from future Biden interference.

On June 10, 2021, Governor Ducey and Governor Abbott sent a letter to all U.S. governors asking them to send available law enforcement resources to the border.

On May 11, 2021, Governor Ducey joined 19 fellow governors to call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to reverse their destructive border policies.

On April 20, 2021, Governor Ducey issued a Declaration of Emergency and deployed the Arizona National Guard to the states southern border to support local law enforcement efforts.

Read more here:
Governor Ducey Tours Yuma Border Barrier | Office of the Arizona Governor - Governor Doug Ducey (.gov)

Recently, I asked the president of a large Democratic womens organization in Washington, D.C., if they had been helping any of the more than 6,000 migrants who had been bussed to D.C. from Texas in recent weeks.Many D.C. charities and immigrant rights groups have tried to help, but their resources were overwhelmed. Most of the migrants usually single male adults ages 18 to 26 have ended up on the streets. Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked the NationalGuard for help. She was refused.

The non-profits president enthusiastically introduced me to a 26-year-old woman helping in their food bank. She had walked from Ecuador to Texas in 45 days in May and June, then took the offer of a free bus from Texas to D.C. in early July. The former Venezuelan naval helicopter pilot student was eager to tell me her story over a two-hour lunch speaking only Spanish.But she askedme not to use her name since she didnt have papers.I must tell you she is beautiful.Her lovely hair fell in swooping curls and she had long manicured fingernails.In her soft but passionate voice, she told me that she was still upset and traumatized by her trip. But she also acknowledged she had been very lucky to make itto the USAsafely and to find a hostess in D.C.

I recount her story here from my notes in Spanish and English. Her narrative brings up as many questions as it answers.

I am from a coastal town in Venezuela where my parents had a small construction supply business. Seven years ago, I joined the navy. A year or so after, I was happy to be accepted into the helicopter pilot training program. I wanted to do something different, that most girls dont do.During the governmental incursions of 2017-18,I had to do some security detail with my naval unit. That was OK.But then about four years ago, my parents were taken hostage in their home and all their belongings were taken away. We decided as a family to flee to Ecuador. I eventually became a nail technician, although its not what I wanted to do.I wanted to go to the United States where the jobs were better.

This May after preparing with five friends all male we started off from Ecuador to walk to the U.S. al norte.I knew we had to travel light so I only took a small backpack with some clothes.

How many shoes did you take? I asked. Only one, she replied.My sports shoes. How are they? I asked. Fine, she answered with a shrug.

What was the worst part of the trip? I inquired.Oh, theDarien jungle in Columbia before Panama,she answered without hesitation. If you cant afford a boat around it, you have to walk through it. It was very scary. No food or water. Took about a week. We saw almost no one.

More questions: Did you have guides? maps?Did people help you with food and transportation? Were you ever assaulted?

No, I was never assaulted, she maintained throughout the two-hour interview. My friends protectedme. Andseveral times during the trip we were able to pay for a bus, or a hotel or for some meals. Sometimes, people helped us.

But they did have to pay bribes. Usually to people in (fake?) uniforms.Mexico was the hardest border to get through, she said. I was kidnapped in central Mexico she used the verb kidnapped in English a couple of times, but we agreed that she meant more like taken hostage or detained until she paid a bribe. The biggest bribe she paid was in Mexico: $600.

How much money did you take with you?I asked.About 1,200 American dollars, she said.

So, what happened when you got to the Mexican-U.S. border? I asked.We took a bus and had a map to the Rio Grande river crossing. It was dark but there were about 600 people waiting there the most we had seen on the whole trip, she recounted.

No one guided or led them. At one point during the night, people started wading across the river. So, she and her friends decided to as well. The water was deep, up to here, she showed me pointing to her chest. It was hard because I had hurt my ankle. I was scared.

When she and her friends made it onto the Texas shore, however, uniformed U.S. border patrol came up to them. Are you OK? she recalled was the first thing they asked. Are you hurt? Hungry? Need water?

Then, they were taken by van to a registration center.They asked us for our names and nationality, the Venezuelan citizen said. She had no papers to show them (had been told not to bring any). No one asked anything about COVID.

Then, people from ISAP (Intensive Supervision of Appearance Program, a government migrant monitoring program)took charge.We have automatically registered you as claiming asylum, they told her and her friends. We will help you with the paperwork.

Did you see anyone turned away by the borderpatrol?I asked?No, she said firmly.

The agents then took them to a small tent city where they were given food, clean clothes, a chance to shower and clean beds. Her companions were already contacting relatives and friends they had in Texas, California and Chicago. But she had no one to call.A few days later, they were given a bus ride to a small Texas town and told they were free to go where they wanted.As she walked into town, people from another organization told her they were putting together a bus for migrants to travel free to Washington D.C.Would she like to go?She immediately said yes.

The bus arrived at Union Station 45 hours later.It was late at night and dark. A small number of people greeted them with food and water. Some migrants mostly women and a few with young children were offered to stay at volunteers homes for a night or two, but no more.They would be directed to agencies that could help them.

Then, she got reallylucky.One of the volunteers said she could stay with her.Now Im doing all I can to expedite my asylum status so I can get a job permit, she said.Thats what I want.A good job and security to stay.

I told her I was happy for her and wished her luck.Ididnt mention thatbecause she was coming from Ecuador where she and her family hadfound safe refuge, a home and jobs for over three years,thatmight taint her request for asylum status. But Venezuelans have been given special Temporary Protective Status on the basis of their nationality it is not safe for them to go back to their homeland right now (a United Nations Human Right). So, she might not have to prove she was fleeingimmediate mortal danger as asylum and refugee applicants usually are required to do.

Such are the realities of crossing the southern border. Meanwhile, nonprofits in D.C. that assist migrants arriving from Texas are running out of resources and are asking for help themselves.

The rest is here:
Exclusive Interview on the Migrant Crisis: Woman Walks From Ecuador to Texas - Georgetowner

The fire department chief of a small Texas border county sees no end in sight for his weary team of first responders who every day recover migrant children and adults from the Rio Grande.

Manuel Mello III leads the Eagle Pass Fire Department in south-central Texas, an area that has become a top location for illegal migration nationwide. As more migrants attempt to cross the river as their final step in a long journey to the United States, many do not make it.

Two years ago, we would probably make in a year's time about 20 to 25 drownings, Mello told the Washington Examiner in a phone call Friday. Right now, you're looking at maybe 30 body recoveries in a month.

Mellos team is not only responsible for responding to fire emergencies in the 75,000-resident Maverick County; they also handle all emergency medical services and have the only swift water rescue in the region. Not only is his staff working overtime at a rate they have never hit before and trying to manage with just four ambulances to respond to calls they are struggling with the reality of pulling babies and children from the water.

'FLAT-OUT LYING': ABBOTT TEAM DENIES MIGRANTS MUST SIGN NDAS TO BOARD BUSES

Dario Lopez-Mills/AP

The Border Patrol operates boats in the Rio Grande and will rescue migrants, but agents will not pull deceased migrants from the river, leaving it to the fire department to recover those who drowned. Sometimes, Mexican officials will call Mello to let him know about a body washed up in the overgrown brush that spans the U.S. side of the river. Because there is but one boat ramp into the river and bodies can be found miles up and down the river, it can be a time-consuming effort.

The fire department uses a simple system to track those it recovers but was unable to break down the numbers by immigration status, gender, or age. As a result, Mello has to go by what he has seen in recent months and could not provide data for the past year.

Child drownings are becoming very common, he said, noting the death of a 3-year-old boy this week.

We've been seeing a whole lot more children drowning not like years past. I've been here 30 years. Once in a while, you'd see a child drowning. It was mostly male migrants that were crossing the river, said Mello. Now, we see people of all ages. It's just overwhelming because you'll see pregnant females. ... We had a family crossing, and they lost their children.

The uptick in deaths comes as more people are being encountered attempting to enter the U.S. illegally than at any time in history. Given that more people are attempting to cross the river, the number who are unsuccessful is also rising.

Recently, the fire department pulled six bodies from the river in one day, and on that same day, Mexican first responders pulled six people from the south side of the river. In addition, the department recovers one to two bodies per week of migrants who died of dehydration and heat-related illnesses.

Maverick County does not have its own medical examiner, and the fire department must transport every body an hour's drive to Webb County. Medical Examiner Dr. CorrineStern has been in her role as a forensic pathologist for two decades and has never seen anything like what is unfolding.

"This is my busiest year in my career ever," Stern told CNN's Rosa Flores and Rosalina Nieves this week.

She had tracked 196 migrant deaths this time last year across 12 counties. This year, she is responsible for autopsies in 11 counties and has already surpassed 218 deaths.

The human toll is a challenge logistically. Her five coolers have 260 bodies inside. Short on room, Stern asked local funeral home directors to hold bodies until she could make more room, CNN reported. Stern did not return a request for an interview.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said one morgue recently refused to take in any more bodies because it was out of space. One morgue director suggested the city move bodies outside the jail, an idea that Schmerber rejected, the New York Post reported. A funeral home director who spoke with the outlet on condition of anonymity said he had to "stack" bodies at his facility due to a space shortage.

The bodies of migrants who cannot be identified are being buried at the back of a county cemetery with crosses made from PVC pipes, according to CNN. They are fingerprinted before burial in hopes of being able to identify them later.

The crisis is also taking a toll on first responders. Counseling and mental health services are available to the fire department and EMS employees, but Mello worried that pulling babies and children from the river is hitting his staff especially hard given that around 70% of fire employees are in their 20s and 30s and have children that age.

Its very heartbreaking. It's stressful. You go through a lot of emotions, said Mello.

Mello lamented that local officials had not heard from the Biden administration at any point since January 2021. The state has reached out, and Mello requested emergency funding and equipment.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Several years ago, I told a reporter, This thing's not going to stop, Mello said, referring to when illegal migration through Eagle Pass began to rise in 2019. I said, You guys are going to continue coming down here and covering drownings. And look at us right now, recovering double the drownings that we used to have back then.

Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas could not be reached for comment.

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Fire department in Texas border county recovering bodies of migrants every day - Washington Examiner