Texas officials are considering a plan to bus migrants directly to ICE holding centers so they can be quickly processed for deportation, according to a report in the New York Post. The proposal would be a continuation of Operation Lone Star and has not been approved by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“We spent a lot of taxpayer money to have the level of deterrent that we have on the border and we can’t just walk away,” a Texas government source told the Post.
Since Operation Lone Star began in 2021, Texas has spent $11 billion deploying National Guard and Department of Public Safety officers to the border in addition to building new sections of border wall.
It’s unclear exactly which facilities Texas officials plan to send migrants to. However, there are 20 ICE detention and processing centers throughout Texas.
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar Thomas Homan said Abbott has not discussed the plan with him.
“We’re going to help them finish this job and secure Texas and we’re going to work in partnership,” Homan told the Post. “And [Abbott] doesn’t have to worry about this administration suing him … to secure the Texas border.”
Since April 2022, Texas has bused approximately 119,000 migrants to sanctuary cities around the country. Some of those cities included New York, Chicago, Denver and Washington, D.C.
A report in the Texas Tribune said that as of February 2024, the state had spent $148 million on the one way rides.
The official cited in the Post report said the state would be reimbursed by the federal government under the new plan.
The Texas Land Commissioner announced she’ll provide the Trump administration with more than 1,400 acres along the Rio Grande river to help carry out its planned mass deportation operation.
Homan said they’ll prioritize public safety and national security threats, fugitives, those on the terrorist watchlist and individuals who have been convicted of a crime.
