Source: In These Times
by Priscilla Lugo
“Gov. Greg Abbott’s misguided Operation Lone Star is costing Texans $2.5 million a week — that’s about $4.5 billion since it began in March 2021. The money being misspent on Operation Lone Star could instead be going to more urgent needs for Texans — an updated power grid, infrastructure in rural communities, and it could even be invested in improving the lives of those in custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Operation Lone Star was ostensibly created to deter migration through arresting, jailing and prosecuting migrants on illegal trespassing charges. But what it’s actually doing is wasting taxpayer dollars while costing approximately $357,000 per day. Migrants caught in Operation Lone Star are criminalized, whether they are seeking employment, family reunification or asylum, and turned over to Customs and Border Protection for deportation and expulsion.” (03/15/23)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/operation-lone-star-texas-abbott