Austin, TX
Texas border deployment going through 'realignment': officials
Hearing held on Texas/Mexico border
Illegal border crossings in South Texas are down and the state is in the process of making some adjustments to Operation Lone Star. The revamping was discussed during a Senate hearing at the state capitol.
AUSTIN, Texas – Illegal border crossings in south Texas are down, and the state is in the process of making some adjustments to Operation Lone Star.
Details about the revamping came out Thursday during a hearing before members of the State Senate Committee on Border Security. The committee is gathering information to prepare for the regular session, which starts in January.
Officials with the State National Guard revealed that two of the four operation base camps, one in Laredo and one north of Eagle Pass, will be shut down. A base camp near Del Rio is also being downsized.
The change is because of the new and larger forward base camp that opened in Eagle Pass earlier this year. Morale among guard members reportedly has improved after mission assignments got better focus and facility upgrades were made by the state.
Major Gen. Thomas Suelzer, the Adjutant General for the State of Texas, told the committee that 18 different states have sent National Guard members to Texas to help with Operation Lone Star.
“What we say to these states is, we will obviously accept all the help we can get. We will ask, we have these types of missions. Is there any type of mission you wouldn’t want to do, or you would like to do? Would you like to send an engineering set of personnel to do engineering and put up a barrier, or do you want to do security points? And then we go through kind of a negotiation process that goes through a state process that would occur during any state declared emergency and solidify that and then they come out. So, we’ve had states that have come out, agreed to come for a whole year, some that have agreed to come for just a few months,” said Suelzer.
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The committee was also told that deployments of state troopers have also been reduced to seven-day rotations. Recent trooper academy graduations are helping to address a staffing shortage, which is now at 540 vacancies, and that has reduced longer deployments.
However, DPS Director Steve McCraw and others who testified said more resources are needed to address the stress related to the continued deployments.
“There was a time one of our operations, we called it Operation Strong Safety. And many members called it Operation Imminent Divorce. And that because it was a longer-term deployment at the time, and we had to send larger numbers, and we didn’t have the benefit of being able to enhance trooper positions in the area of operation. So, there’s no question that it’s very difficult to be, you know, all places at all times and maintain the level of intensity that need to be in and still have family life and be able to be, you know, so we can sustain our workforce,” said McCraw.
Operation Strong Safety took place in 2014 during a surge in migrants. The last time there was a force reduction on the border was back in 2022. The committee was told a larger scale back of personnel on the border is not advised because there is still the threat of another surge in illegal crossings and El Paso remains a hot zone, especially for a dangerous gang known as TDA.
“They’re still probing. They are still cutting fences. They are still trying to create the type of gaps we saw before, and rush hundreds in, and take that combative, riotous type of stance that they’ve done before. So, they have not gone away,” warned McCraw.
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During the hearing, McCraw noted there was a 56,000% increase in the number of Venezuelans apprehended in Texas between 2000 and 2023. According to McCraw, since February 2021, there have been over 93,000 arrests in Texas of individuals classified as criminal migrants. Several cases involve things like drunk driving, but 4,100 cases involved felonies like sexual assault and murder. Since 2021, about $11 billion has been allocated to Operation Lone Star.
Immigration advocates who testified Thursday called it a wasteful program and a boondoggle. Jaime Puente, director of Economic Opportunity, claimed Operation Lone Star has not significantly affected the number of migrants apprehended compared to other border states like Arizona.
“State leadership continues to establish policy based on dehumanizing rhetoric and unverified claims of success. Texans deserve policies that harness the productive power of people seeking refuge and asylum in the United States, not the wasteful, destructive policies of Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star,” said Puente.
Austin, TX
Black Sheep Coffee Opens First Austin Location, Expanding Its Texas Footprint | What Now Austin
Black Sheep Coffee, the international coffee brand, will celebrate the opening of its first Central Texas location in Downtown Austin with two public events. The new café, located at W 6th St & Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701, marks a significant step in the company’s U.S. expansion following strong growth throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth region.
A public ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted in partnership with the Austin Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Thursday, January 15 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., welcoming community members, local leaders, and partners into the space. During the event, guests can enjoy half-price lattes, including coffee and matcha drinks.
On Saturday, January 17, Black Sheep Coffee will officially celebrate their grand opening with a Sips & Beats event from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., featuring live vinyl set by DJ Foxxy Brown, signature menu tastings, and half-price lattes throughout the event. Continuing the celebration, the store will also offer a 50% discount to International Half Marathon medal holders on Sunday, January 18, welcoming runners and spectators to refuel post-race.
Designed to reflect Austin’s creative identity, the location features custom graffiti artwork inspired by the city’s street art scene and the energy of Downtown. The new outpost will serve Black Sheep Coffee’s complete menu, including its 100% specialty-grade Robusta coffee, ceremonial-grade matcha, smoothies, pastries, Norwegian waffles, curated food offerings, and two bakery variations created exclusively for the Austin store. Additional limited-time items will debut later in January as part of the brand’s functional health product refresh.
“Austin has long been on our radar for its passionate community and standout coffee culture,” said Eirik Holth, co-founder of Black Sheep Coffee in a statement. “We’re excited to become part of that fabric and bring something new to Downtown. With several U.S. locations in the pipeline, Austin marks a major milestone in our next chapter of growth.”
Black Sheep Coffee chose Austin for its strong alignment with the brand’s ethos and its reputation as a city that celebrates individuality and creativity. The opening also reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to Texas, with several additional locations planned statewide for 2026.
The Austin café will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, visit BlackSheepCoffee.us.
Austin, TX
Lawsuit: Brianna Aguilera’s parents allege underage alcohol service at Austin tailgate contributed to daughter’s death
The parents of Brianna Aguilera have filed a lawsuit against two organizations, alleging that they served alcohol to their underage daughter which contributed to her death in Austin.
Before Aguilera fell to her death from the Rio 21 Apartments in West Campus, the lawsuit states that she attended a tailgate at the Austin Blacks Rugby Club’s facility, organized by the UT Latin Economics and Business Association.
Both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
>> What we know about Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera’s death in Austin
Even though the lawsuit states Aguilera was “noticeably intoxicated” at the tailgate, her parents argue that the defendants continued to serve her alcohol.
According to court documents, Aguilera allegedly began stumbling at the tailgate and needed help standing at times. At some point, the lawsuit said she fell into the woods and lost her phone.
After leaving the tailgate at approximately 10 p.m., court documents state Aguilera died around two hours later.
The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of negligence and gross negligence for serving alcohol to Aguilera despite her age and allegedly overserving her.
In the suit, Aguilera’s parents demanded a trial by jury and sought at least $1 million plus interest, costs and punitive damages.
Aguilera’s parents also seek damages for wrongful death, citing the defendants’ alleged misconduct.
Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s representing the Aguilera family, commented on the lawsuit in a Tuesday news conference.
Watch the full news conference below:
“Brianna was obviously overserved,” Buzbee said. “Even the police have concluded that she was overserved at that tailgate. She was not 21.”
Buzbee also stated that the Austin Police Department has allegedly told multiple witnesses not to talk with him and Aguilera’s parents.
“They told the three, the three individuals that were in that apartment that night when this young girl died. They told them, do not speak to Brianna’s mother or her lawyers,” Buzbee said.
He said that the lawsuit could provide a way for the witnesses to eventually come forward with information.
“By filing this lawsuit, not only will we hold accountable an entity or entities that were involved in overserving Brianna and other minors, but we will also be able to subpoena individuals and documents and video and data so we can continue our investigation,” Buzbee said.
KSAT’s sister station, KPRC, has reached out to both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association for comment on the lawsuit. This story will be updated once the organizations provide a statement.
More coverage of this story on KSAT:
Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
Austin, TX
Cedar pollen eases, but record heat builds across Central Texas
Although record-breaking heat and spring-like warmth dominated the first few days of the new year, cooler — but still warmer than normal —temperatures settled in to start the first work week of 2026.
The heat will ramp up yet again Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures about 20 degrees above the normal early-January high of 62 degrees.
Expect a blanket of low stratus clouds and some patchy dense fog Tuesday morning, but skies should begin clearing around lunchtime.
“In the meantime, a surface trough (of low atmospheric pressure)/dry line will push from the southern Edwards Plateau into the I-35 corridor, bringing temperatures into the lower to mid-80s,” meteorologists with the National Weather Service wrote in a forecast discussion Monday. “It is going to be very warm for this time of year, and some daily high temperature records could be broken.”
Those temperatures could rival record highs at both Austin climate observation sites, Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the standing record is 84 degrees, set in 1989.
Behind the dry line Tuesday, drier air will move into Central Texas, leading to a slightly cooler start Wednesday under mostly to partly cloudy skies.
Morning temperatures will dip into the 50s around sunrise before climbing into the upper 70s to mid-80s by the afternoon. Those highs would surpass the record of 80 degrees set in 2008 at Camp Mabry.
Temperatures the rest of the week will remain above normal with mostly cloudy mornings but sunny afternoons.
A cold front is forecast to move across the region later in the week with a slight rain chance Thursday and Friday, but most of the rain will fall north and east of Austin. However, cooler and more seasonable weather is expected this weekend.
This past weekend, Austin experienced the highest cedar pollen counts so far this season with a count of 3,200 grains per cubic meter Saturday and a peak of 4,000 grains per cubic meter on Sunday. However, the count dropped to just over 1,000 grams per cubic meter on Monday. Humidity has been on the rise in the past few days, and winds have been much lighter. Those factors have helped “settle” the cedar pollen for the time being.
Luckily, the winds have turned southerly and are much lighter, so the pollen has settled a bit. A small chance of rain on Thursday and Friday should also help dampen cedar pollen before it becomes airborne. However, above-normal temperatures will allow tree pollen cones to continue opening, setting the stage for another pollen surge when the next breezy cold front arrives.
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