Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Texas Department of Public Safety leaders delivered a border update, saying lower migrant crossing numbers have not eliminated the work being done through Operation Lone Star.
DPS reported 1,045 criminal arrests connected to border operations in May, including 63 arrests involving human smuggling. Those cases resulted in 134 human smuggling charges, according to department leadership.
One of the biggest shifts leaders highlighted involved drugs.
Troopers seized 273 pounds of marijuana in May, but more than 4,000 pounds of methamphetamine.
DPS also reported seizing 547 pounds of cocaine, 31 pounds of heroin and about one pound of fentanyl, which department leaders said represented roughly 203,000 potentially lethal doses.
Officials described the numbers as a shift away from marijuana and toward harder drugs being encountered during border enforcement.
DPS leaders also addressed questions about the department's relationship with federal immigration authorities, saying there can be confusion about what happens after a state trooper makes a traffic stop.
Officials said troopers do not automatically investigate a driver's immigration status during routine stops.
They pointed to a recent Rio Grande Valley case involving a nurse who was initially stopped for a traffic violation. DPS said the woman had a suspended license and was arrested on a state misdemeanor charge. According to department leaders, the trooper did not ask about her immigration status.
DPS said immigration authorities became involved later in the jail intake process, eventually resulting in an ICE detainer.
Officials said other encounters can become more complicated when a driver cannot be identified through state databases. In those cases, DPS said troopers may make an arrest rather than issue a citation under a name and date of birth they cannot verify.
DPS said fingerprints taken during the jail booking process can then allow authorities to establish a person's identity and determine whether federal immigration issues or outstanding criminal matters exist.
Department leaders said the distinction is important as questions continue over how state law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement intersect along the border.
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Texas Department of Public Safety leaders delivered a border update, saying lower migrant crossing numbers have not eliminated the work being done through Operation Lone Star.
DPS reported 1,045 criminal arrests connected to border operations in May, including 63 arrests involving human smuggling. Those cases resulted in 134 human smuggling charges, according to department leadership.
One of the biggest shifts leaders highlighted involved drugs.
Troopers seized 273 pounds of marijuana in May, but more than 4,000 pounds of methamphetamine.
DPS also reported seizing 547 pounds of cocaine, 31 pounds of heroin and about one pound of fentanyl, which department leaders said represented roughly 203,000 potentially lethal doses.
Officials described the numbers as a shift away from marijuana and toward harder drugs being encountered during border enforcement.
DPS leaders also addressed questions about the department's relationship with federal immigration authorities, saying there can be confusion about what happens after a state trooper makes a traffic stop.
Officials said troopers do not automatically investigate a driver's immigration status during routine stops.
They pointed to a recent Rio Grande Valley case involving a nurse who was initially stopped for a traffic violation. DPS said the woman had a suspended license and was arrested on a state misdemeanor charge. According to department leaders, the trooper did not ask about her immigration status.
DPS said immigration authorities became involved later in the jail intake process, eventually resulting in an ICE detainer.
Officials said other encounters can become more complicated when a driver cannot be identified through state databases. In those cases, DPS said troopers may make an arrest rather than issue a citation under a name and date of birth they cannot verify.
DPS said fingerprints taken during the jail booking process can then allow authorities to establish a person's identity and determine whether federal immigration issues or outstanding criminal matters exist.
Department leaders said the distinction is important as questions continue over how state law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement intersect along the border.
_______________
Stay up to date with our social media:
KABB on Instagram: instagram.com
KABB on Facebook: facebook.com/foxsanantonio
KABB on Twitter: twitter.com/kabbfox29
Subscribe to KABB on YouTube: youtube.com/c/KABBFOXSanAntonio
For more information, visit foxsanantonio.com
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: NewsDesk@news4sanantonio.com
Call the Newsroom: 210.442-6397
KABB is a TX based station and an NBC Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.
#KABB #KABBFOX29 #NEWS4SanAntonio #KABB29 #SanAntonio
