TEXAS — Texas Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and Greg Casar, D-Austin, have introduced an amendment to the 2024 U.S. Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would restrict federal funds from being used for Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial, multibillion-dollar Operation Lone Star border enforcement program. 

What You Need To Know

  • Texas Democratic Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar on Thursday introduced an amendment to the 2024 Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would prohibit federal funds from being used for Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial Operation Lone Star border enforcement program 

  • The program has been in place since 2021 and is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department

  • Operation Lone Star is intended to curb illegal immigration, combat the drug trade and human smuggling 

  • The program has come under fire following accusations of abuse 

“Greg Abbott’s abusive, wasteful, and inhumane Operation Lone Star is a disgrace to our state,” a statement from Casar reads. “Not one federal cent should go toward caging families, cutting innocent people with razor wire, or drowning children. Period. We need to address the humanitarian crisis at our border head on, and chart a new path for a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system.” 

Abbott introduced Operation Lone Star in March of 2021 to respond to the influx of immigrants entering Texas.

“Since 2021, Gov. Abbott has stolen more than a billion dollars in federal COVID-19 aid and diverted hundreds of millions in state taxpayer dollars from critical public health and safety programs to fund Operation Lone Star,” said Castro. “Operation Lone Star is trampling on the rights of border communities, endangering our economic relationship with Mexico, and violating the basic human rights of asylum-seekers. Congress should not be funding Governor Abbott’s wasteful political stunts.”

Back in July 2023, Castro and 87 other House Democrats — including Casar — wrote a letter calling on President Biden to investigate and pursue legal action against Operation Lone Star after reports of state troops pushing migrants into the water and other safety concerns about razor wire and border buoys surfaced.

Part of the letter reads: "Operation Lone Star’s programs and policies, specifically the recent erection of razor wire or buoy walls, pose a huge danger to migrants and impedes the ability of our border patrol offices to safely and humanely treat migrants as well as to comply with relevant federal and international laws. As Governor Abbott continues to escalate his efforts on the border, we urge you to take the above actions and stop this horrific abuse of power."

In a development on Thursday, a court ordered that Abbott's border buoys can remain in place in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass for now. This was one day after a judge called the buoys a safety threat to migrants.

According to a UT Austin poll, a slim majority of Texans — 52% — support buoys and razor wire being used to prevent migration, while 40% were opposed.