AUSTIN, Texas — Law enforcement agencies across Texas have seized more than 622 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico and Canada combined, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said Friday.
Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people into Texas; and prevent, detect and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry, the release said. Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to more than 530,600 undocumented migrant apprehensions and more than 50,000 criminal arrests, with more than 43,000 felony charges.
Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87% because of its historic border security mission, Abbott’s office said.
“Fewer illegal crossings into Texas means fewer migrants to transport to sanctuary cities.”
Since the start of Texas’ transportation program, the state has transported:
- More than 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
- More than 45,900 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- More than 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- More than 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- More than 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
- More than 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023