AUSTIN, Texas — The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU) is criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott's immigration enforcement program, Operation Lone Star (OLS).
According to a report from the ACLU, titled Operation Lone Star: Misinformation and Discrimination in Texas Border Enforcement, data collected shows that between 2021 and 2023, arrest rates for trespassing rose significantly and 97% of those arrested were Latino. Meanwhile, nearly 70% of those with court appearances dealt with only misdemeanor charges.
The report also cites that 75% of people arrested for drug-related offenses under the plan were American citizens.
It also says that the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) claim that more than 38,000 have been arrested under OLS is flawed, as less than 14,000 people actually appeared in court.
“Texas has no business trying to run its own immigration enforcement program,” Sarah Cruz, the policy and advocacy strategist for border and immigrants’ rights at the ACLU of Texas, said. “Gov. Abbott and other state politicians conflating immigration with drugs and crime is as false as it is inflammatory and dangerous to our communities."
"Operation Lone Star is unconstitutional and ineffective, and the moral cost of the state’s unchecked cruelty is far greater than the $11 billion price tag. OLS and the state’s relentless attacks on our communities must end,” Cruz continued.