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, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
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Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
AUSTIN, Texas – Central Texans gather to celebrate Juneteenth or “Freedom Day” on June 19 and commemorate the end of slavery.
What you can do:
The Greater East Austin Youth Association (GEAYA) is hosting the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade and Festival today (6/19).
It’s free and taking place at Rosewood Park in East Austin located at 2300 Rosewood Ave.
The schedule for the events is as follows:
- ACME Juneteenth FunRun – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Juneteenth Historical Parade – 10 AM – 12 PM
- Park Celebration and Fireworks – 12 PM – 9:45 PM
Other events
On June 20, the Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition will be taking place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center located at 1165 Angelina Street.
It will be a day of celebration and remembrance and there will be BBQ plates and music as well as vendors and hands-on activations.
The backstory:
Juneteenth commemorates the end of formal slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and more than one month following the end of the American Civil War.
Colloquially known as “The Black 4th of July,” Juneteenth marks the beginning of an African American journey to carve a new place in society for free people to shape identities independent of racial caricature, eradicate slave culture, promote ethnic pride, and create economic prosperity.
The Source: Information from City of Austin and Greater East Austin Youth Association and reporting by Jessica Rivera.
Juneteenth celebrations are happening across the city this weekend. The events will mark the 161st anniversary of the day Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to announce that more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement on June 19, 1865, came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. June 19 — known as Juneteenth — became a federal holiday in 2021.
From historical bike rides to Austin’s annual parade, here are seven events taking place in Austin.
Annual Juneteenth FunRun, June 19
The city of Austin’s African American Cultural and Heritage Facility will host a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday at East Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Leona Street, and concluding at Hargrave Street near the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex. Participants will have one hour to complete the course. The route is the same as the parade through the African American Historical Cultural District that will start later that morning. Runners and walkers of all ages and levels can participate.
Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival, June 19
The annual Juneteenth parade will take place Friday and begin at 10 a.m. at East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leona Street and will travel down to Chicon Street before turning on Rosewood Avenue. The parade will feature floats, live music and performers.
A Very Juneteenth Comedy Jam, June 19
The Velveeta Room, Austin’s longest-running comedy club, will have shows highlighting Black voices Friday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 18+ event will feature comedians like Freddy Do Less and Roderick McDaniel. Tickets for both shows are around $23.
Sistas Walk And Talk: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
Texas Sistas Society will host a 3-mile walk and talk Saturday at 515 S. Pleasant Valley Road starting at 7:45 a.m. Texas Sistas Society is an Austin-based community created for Black women and women of color. Attendees are encouraged to wear Juneteenth colors: red, yellow, green or black, and to RSVP ahead of time.
The Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition, June 20
The George Washington Carver Museum in Austin is dedicated to creating a “space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.” The museum is hosting a free celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with barbecue plates, live music, vendors and activities for all ages.
Black Auteur Film Festival, June 20
The Black Auteur Film Festival, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting Black filmmakers in Texas, is hosting its third annual film festival to showcase short films directed by Black Texans at AFS Cinema on Saturday. One filmmaker will win the $1,000 “Best of Fest” award, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win Austin Film Society memberships and movie tickets. The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $14.
Juneteenth Social Ride, June 21
Black History Bike Ride, an Austin nonprofit teaching people about the city’s Black history through cycling, is hosting its seventh annual Juneteenth ride starting at the Haskell House on Saturday at 10 a.m. Austin-based historian Harrison Eppright will serve as the ride’s guide. Registration is required for all attendees. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
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