by Jennie Taer
Texas National Guard troops deployed to the southern border have apprehended over 2,600 illegal migrants since last Wednesday, according to figures provided to Daily Caller News Foundation.
The troops are stationed at the border as part of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star,” which has mobilized state assets to counter illegal activity.
Texas National Guard border public affairs officer Major Mike Perry told the DCNF that the Texas National Guard “is getting a lot of apprehensions right now.”
Operation Lone Star is a coordinated effort between DPS' air, ground, marine and tactical assets to ensure we are able to accomplish this vital mission set forth by Gov. @GregAbbott_TX. Together, with our partners at @TXMilitary, we are working hard every day to protect Texas. pic.twitter.com/qAtbFQZ3Hj
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) December 1, 2021
Since Dec. 1, the operation by Texas National Guard at the border has resulted in the apprehensions and referrals of 2,618 illegal migrants. The guard has apprehended and referred around 87,000 illegal migrants in total since March.
Perry told the DCNF that in recent weeks the guard has seen an uptick in “runners and turnbacks” attempting to evade apprehension. There was a total of 696 “turnbacks,” meaning illegal migrants attempting to evade apprehension, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8. Since March, the operation has seen over 7,000.
Typically “turnbacks” are individuals walking, swimming, or on a raft that will turn around when they see troops stationed at the border, Perry explained, adding that the individuals are usually part of illegal smuggling operations.
“They’re going to find the easiest way to get past us, but the issue for them is there’s a tremendous amount of us down here now,” Perry said.
“We saw the sharp increase really quickly. We’re going to see it this week on the turnbacks,” he said.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
