SAN ANTONIO — The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is now reacting to Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order that permits state authorities to apprehend and return migrants to the southern border.
Commissioner Chris Magnus spoke during a press conference Friday to announce recommended disciplinary actions for four Border Patrol agents who according to a 511-page report, used ‘unnecessary’ force in a 2021 confrontation near Del Rio involving Haitian immigrants.
One reported asked Magnus about Abbott’s decision to issue an executive order that gives the greenlight for Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to arrest migrants who cross into the country illegally and take them to the border.
Abbott says the executive order comes in response to “historic levels of illegal crossings” and the White House’s ongoing attempts to end Title 42 and Remain in Mexico immigration policies.
Magnus briefly addressed Abbott’s actions to address illegal immigration.
"We have a shared interest with Texas DPS as well as other state officials in maintaining a safe, orderly, humane immigration process,” Magnus said. "We stand ready to work with Texas to achieve these goals, but the challenge is when any state such as Texas takes unilateral actions it just makes it harder for us to do this.”
Since December, a coalition of immigrant rights groups has called on the Biden administration formally look into Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s multi-billion dollar endeavor to counter illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
“Under Operation Lone Star, individuals are being targeted, they’re being racially profiled and placed in a separate legal criminal system where their due process rights are being violated,” said Priscilla Olivarez, policy attorney and strategist with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Olivarez cited a report by the Texas Tribune that states the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating alleged civil rights violations under Operation Lone Star. But the DOJ could not confirm whether or not an investigation is taking place despite records from at least two Texas agencies indicating otherwise.
“I would just once again call on the Biden administration to act and to act and to act quickly and to investigate Operation Lone Star formally. I would also call on the administration not to cooperate with Abbott in this illegal and unconstitutional scheme.”
Operation Lone Star has led to more than 274,000 migrant apprehensions and more than 16,900 criminal arrests, according to Governor Abbott’s office.
Authorities have seized over 5,700 weapons and more than $43 million in currency.