NEWS: Casar, Crockett, & Texas Democrats Call for Stronger Federal Oversight of Operation Lone Star
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35) and Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) joined Representatives Colin Allred (TX-32), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Al Green (TX-09), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18),and Marc Veasey (TX-33) in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take greater action prosecuting violations of federal law committed by Texas state authorities under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star (OLS).
“Greg Abbott’s abusive, wasteful, and inhumane Operation Lone Star is a disgrace to our state,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “Every day, Abbott is lighting taxpayer money on fire with his dangerous political stunts on the border. We need to address the humanitarian issues at our border head on, and chart a new path for a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system — Operation Lone Star is nothing but an expensive civil rights violation and must be investigated.”
Devised by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, ‘Operation Lone Star’ has already resulted in at least 74 deaths in the past year, as well as numerous cases of violence and cruel treatment of migrants. Reporting has documented the use of razor wire and buoys in the Rio Grande, deadly vehicle pursuits, and prolonged detention without due process. With Governor Abbott poised to sign Texas S.B. 4 into law this week, there is concern that the greater latitude for law enforcement to detain individuals suspected of being foreign nationals granted by this law will lead to greater violence against migrants and targeting of Latino Texans.
“Despite the egregious and recurring abuses spanning almost two years, we are concerned over the lack of remedial and preventive actions taking place at the federal level,” write the members. “While Governor Abbott ramps up his escalated actions under OLS, we continue to see civil rights violations and illegal actions, whether it is the continuing 'trespassing' arrests of immigrants, razor-wire installations, or physical interposition by DPS and Texas Guard personnel preventing migrants from accessing safety and medical care, as illustrated from a video last month showing a Texas National Guard soldier accosting a migrant stuck in barbed wire.”
“In the face of ongoing escalation, it is critical that DOJ assert its rightful field preemption and send a strong message regarding OLS abuses. We are also seeking clarity regarding the Administration’s position as to the legal interference of federal immigration law by Texas officials and law enforcement acting under OLS,” the members continue.
The full letter is available here.
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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture