Recently, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) apprehended several migrants linked to serious offenses, including the sexual assault of a child.
At approximately 7 a.m. on February 12, a DPS trooper conducted a traffic stop on a 2011 International tractor-trailer due to a violation.
After the truck halted, the driver along with multiple passengers dashed into the underbrush, according to DPS.
Authorities, aided by various agencies, apprehended seven undocumented individuals along with the truck driver, 49-year-old Junior Adalid Montoya-Alvarez.
The Department of Public Safety confirmed that Montoya-Alvarez holds lawful permanent status as a national from Honduras. He was taken into custody for trafficking individuals, and it was subsequently revealed that he was a suspect in a sexual assault case in Harris County.
Authorities have apprehended seven undocumented individuals hailing from Guatemala and Mexico, who have now been handed over to Border Patrol, as reported by DPS.
Just a day prior, 26-year-old Carols Daniel Espinoza-Arguello, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was taken into custody by DPS agents and state troopers in Socorro, following a traffic stop for suspected human smuggling activities.
An inquiry revealed that Espinoza-Arguello was sought by DPS for the sexual assault of a minor, leading to his arrest and subsequent booking at the El Paso County Jail.
Espinoza-Arguello’s arrest resulted in the discovery of a nearby stash house, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) apprehended two illegal immigrants, also hailing from Venezuela.
On February 6, a trooper from the Department of Public Safety conducted a traffic stop on a 1999 Dodge pickup truck in Sullivan City.
Following a warrant check, the trooper found that the passenger, 40-year-old Armando Alonso-Cortez, was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico with a criminal background. DPS reported that Alonso-Cortez is being sought by the Alton Police Department in connection with a child sexual assault case. DPS also noted that he was seen as a potential flight risk.
Alonso-Cortez was taken into custody immediately and transferred to the Alton Police Department.
Initiated in 2021 by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Operation Lone Star has been a significant undertaking.
Since it began, the initiative has led to the capture of over 500,000 undocumented individuals, prevented over 140,000 unlawful entries into the U.S., conducted more than 50,000 criminal arrests, confiscated over 500 million dangerous doses of fentanyl, constructed over 240 miles of border fencing, and set up the sole National Guard base along the Texas-Mexico border.
“In summary, Texas took action where the federal government did not, thereby safeguarding all Americans from the perilous policies of President Biden,” Abbott stated in a letter to U.S. Congressional Members late last month.
While expressing pride in the operation, Abbott acknowledged that its success came at a significant cost exceeding $11.1 billion, a burden that Texas taxpayers have shouldered and continue to bear, despite it being a responsibility that should have fallen to the federal government.
Abbott revealed in a detailed document that before the current administration, Texas allocated around $800 million every two years to enhance federal initiatives at the border.
“The weight that our State has carried stems directly from the federal government’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities,” Abbott stated. “The efforts made by Texas through Operation Lone Star have safeguarded and will keep providing advantages for the whole nation.”
In previous attempts, House Republicans have put forth bills seeking reimbursement for the substantial funds Texas has allocated to border security, yet none of these legislative efforts have succeeded.