(The Center Square) – In the small rural county of Jackson, roughly two hours south of Houston, the sheriff and his deputies have been combatting an unprecedented amount of cartel crime through a multi-agency Operation Lone Star Task Force launched by Goliad Sheriff Roy Boyd.

“I’ve told you this before, the Biden administration created an unmitigated disaster,” outgoing Jackson County Sheriff Kelly Janica told The Center Square, repeating a claim he first made in 2022 about the border crisis. Cartel operatives, human and drug smugglers take Highway 59 to and from Houston, which runs right through Jackson County.