Operation Lone Star

After Texas deployed the barrier, a panel ordered it removed. The full appeals court says it can stay while a lower court hears a case on the merits.

The move is the latest in the ongoing battle between Texas and the White House over whether federal agents can cut through razor wire installed as part of the governor’s Operation Lone Star.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were accused of depriving migrants of water and medical assistance along the state’s border with Mexico.

It was a short-lived victory for the federal government over Texas’ anti-migrant border buoys. The day after a federal judge ordered the buoys' removal, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an emergency stay.

Texas Democrats called on the federal government to step up as Texas' state-led border effort draws more scrutiny.

The string of wrecking ball-sized buoys is the centerpiece of what Abbott calls “Operation Lone Star,” which also includes razor wire on the riverbank and arresting migrants for trespassing. Texas Public Radio takes us by kayak to the barrier and to the people it's trying to keep out.

The budget bills filed Wednesday would also allocate $600 million to the Texas Education Agency to help school districts “in implementing school safety initiatives.”

The lawmakers say that despite billions spent, the state’s border efforts aren’t working.

The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.

According to a new Texas Politics Project poll, Republicans overwhelmingly support Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing policy, while most Democrats are against it. Abbott, a Republican running for a third term, continues to lead Democrat Beto O’Rourke.