The Department of Justice is investigating alleged civil rights violations under Operation Lone Star, one of several problems with state leaders’ claims of success of the initiative since its 2021 launch, according to state records.
An investigation by several news outlets found that in showing the accomplishments of Operation Lone Star, a multibillion-dollar border initiative, state officials included reports of arrests that had no connection to the border and statewide drug seizures. Texas’s Department of Public Safety stopped including some of the charges after publications started asking questions about their connections to border security, according to the Texas Tribune.
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“Generally, cases are brought to us by a variety of law enforcement agencies — federal, state and local — for possible prosecutorial consideration following their investigation into a suspected violation of federal law,” Angela Dodge, a DOJ spokeswoman, wrote in an email. “We consider each such case based on the evidence and what can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a federal court of law.”
Another investigation looked into problems with the deployment of the National Guard in the initiative, including reports of delayed payments to soldiers, a shortage of critical equipment, and poor living conditions, according to the Texas Tribune and Army Times, the latter of which had also reported traces of soldier suicides tied to the operation.
In an internal email in May, DPS officials said that the DOJ was seeking to review if Operation Lone Star violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin by institutions receiving federal funding, according to a letter recovered by the Washington Examiner. DPS told the Washington Examiner it is “being responsive” and is assisting the DOJ in its request.
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Additionally, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which manages the state’s prison system, also cited a “formal investigation” of Operation Lone Star by the DOJ, according to a letter sent Friday to the state’s attorney general obtained in the records.
In 2021, the Texas legislature directed over $3 billion to border measures over the next two years, most of which has gone to Operation Lone Star. The operation was launched to combat human and drug smuggling, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
