Operation Lone Star's border security program is under fire from activists, who plan to put pressure on Texas to scale it back, citing widespread civil rights abuses.
The three-year, $11.2 billion program was implemented in 2021 to send thousands of National Guard troops to the border in order to stop illegal immigration.
However, nonprofit organizations like the Border Network for Human Rights have claimed that the border security program has caused several civil rights violations, News Nation Now reported.
In an online conference, hosted by the Frontera Texas Organizing Project, the groups said that Texas was wasting money on border militarization and installing razor wire along the Rio Grande. They argued that this money could be better spent on health care, education and infrastructure.
Aly Boyd, a team member at Border Servant Corps, which runs migrant shelters in El Paso and Las Cruces, said the medical staff "are seeing clients who've been cut by the razor wire," adding that "they are reporting they're being pushed into the razor wire. They're also being shot with pepper balls, which embed in the skin and irritate the skin, and they're having tear gas fired on them," News Nation Now reported.
Boyd further mentioned that the group has created a "documentation tool" to file all such complaints.
"We are really the first stop for guests after their release from custody, so we are able to see directly the impact of Operation Lone Star on asylum-seekers," she added.
Danny Woodward, who worked as a legal fellow with the Beyond Borders Program, said that many of the reported abuses were happening on federal land. Texas military personnel have set up razor wire and maintain a permanent armed presence there to stop migrants from crossing between U.S.' ports of entry.
"The first thing we need to do is document the abuse. We need to get clear testimony on what's happening and find a way to tell these stories. In January, we'll see a new session of the Texas Legislature (it's) a new opportunity to advocate with state officials, both by talking to legislators and at hearings (on border security)," Woodward said.
He emphasized that by documenting cases and filing complaints with government agencies, they can trigger an investigation and potentially hold people accountable.
However, Adolfo Telles, the chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, emphasized his support for the border security program, saying Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was trying to protect the residents of the state.
Telles added the only abuse he witnessed was in videos shared by media outlets when migrants overran Texas Army National Guard troops last March.
"The National Guard, the Border Patrol were doing their job and their job was to protect us as citizens. The other people were attacking them physically, they were harming some of them. Every one of those people should be in jail today," Telles said.
Many migrants faced state riot charges, but a judge in El Paso dismissed them.
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