Texas is considering sending illegal immigrants directly to ICE for deportation instead of to sanctuary cities
State authorities believe that, with this measure, undocumented immigrants would be quickly processed for removal from the country.
Border Patrol agents with a group of immigrants in California.
The state of Texas is evaluating a plan to send buses with illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) instead of sending them to sanctuary cities. This measure would also be accompanied by an increase in the number of illegal alien buses.
The authorities of the Lone Star State believe that, with this measure, the undocumented immigrants would be processed quickly for deportation. Texas wants to address the ongoing border crisis in the country and is part of Operation Lone Star pushed by Governor Greg Abbott.
"We are always gonna be involved in border security so long as we’re a border state. 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 New York Post.
In that regard, the source detailed that the logistics of carrying out the plan would be that buses chartered by Texas from border cities would be redirected from sanctuary locations such as New York, Chicago and Denver, to federal detention centers to assist ICE agents.
Meanwhile, incoming border czar Tom Homan explained that although the governor has not mentioned the plan to him, he is willing to cooperate in moving this forward.
"We’re going to help them finish this job and secure Texas and we’re going to work in partnership. And [Abbott] doesn’t have to worry about this administration suing him … to secure the Texas border," Homan said.
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According to NYP estimates, Texas bused nearly 120,000 migrants from the border to New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago since 2022.
Recently, Governor Abbott explained that the state is moving forward with Operation Lone Star. The Republican maintained that he is committed to implementing all tools to curb the immigration crisis.
"Texas will continue to deploy every tool and strategy available under our historic border mission to protect and defend our state and our nation," Governor Abbott posted on social media.
In that sense, Abbott highlighted that Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by more than 86%. He highlighted that fewer illegal crossings into Texas means fewer immigrants to transport to sanctuary cities."
In addition, the governor shared photos on X of Texas National Guard soldiers reinforcing border barriers in preparation for a possible mass migration, according to the Texas government's official website.
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