here is a link again to today's story again. it contains nuance I hope you spend time with, as well as unanswered questions we hope to answer.

if you want to talk to me on or off the record: alejandro.serrano@texastribune.org.

DM me for signal.
www.texastribune.org/2025/09/12/t...

But reporting has cast doubt on the assertion.

In Texas, one raid in Hays County raised fresh questions about evidence.

our June report:
www.texastribune.org/2025/06/04/t...

DPS said as of mid-August it had identified nearly 6,500 “criminal illegal immigrants with active felony warrants in Texas for a variety of offenses.”

The Trump administration has similarly said it is prioritizing deporting "the worst of the worst."

The state also dropped buoys and razor wire into international waters, built a border wall, etc. --- all raising Qs about how much authority a state has to enforce immigration law.

here is a great story from January 2024 via @ujohnnyg.bsky.social
www.texastribune.org/2024/01/22/t...

When DPS officers were surged to the border in 2021, they began arresting asylum-seekers on state charges of criminal trespass, instead of crossing the border like CPB might.

It was one of several OLS aspects ...

It is not clear if DPS officers themselves are making the arrests. The story gets into this question of authority a bit:

Meanwhile, the number of border crossings has tanked. These numbers offer a glimpse into how state police are shifting their focus from the border toward aiding the Trump administration.

The #txlege this year appropriated another $3.4B for border security.
www.texastribune.org/2025/06/19/t...

Public records obtained by The @texastribune.org show that the teams have recorded 3,131 previously unreported arrests. Most people (88%) were picked up for violations of federal immigration laws. At least one in five in either Austin, Dallas or Houston.

Since, not much has been said or celebrated about the teams or their productivity. DPS has acknowledged their involvement in individual arrests, like these:
www.kxan.com/news/local/a...

cmf.statesman.com/news/local/a...

In January, Gov. Abbott directed DPS to dispatch teams to help President Trump's immigration crackdown.

And DPS is being tight-lipped about the ops, a stark contrast from the press releases, videos, pics + stats frequently published over the last 4 years of Operation Lone Star, a border mission started in response to the Biden admin's immigration policies.

... and come September, most Texas sheriffs will be required by state law to seek such partnerships w/ ICE — even those in urban, Democratic areas who have been resistant to and even protested cooperating with ICE in the past.

link again to story -->
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/g...

Boyd, who has three 287(g) agreements with ICE, has urged fellow sheriffs to also enter agreements. But he may not have to do much convincing.

Since February, the number of such partnerships between Texas sheriffs and ICE has exploded by roughly 325%...
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/g...