On Thursday, CBS Mornings smeared the effort by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to secure the U.S. southern border using state law enforcement and National Guard troops as an “expensive political stunt.” The network broadcast seemed puzzled by why Texas would have to step in to stem the flow of illegal immigration, as if reporters were completely unaware of the Biden administration’s massive failure on the border.
“The Texas/Mexico border is seeing record numbers of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. and start a new life. In March, border officials reported more than 221,000 encounters along the southwest land border. That is nearly 28% more than last March,” fill-in co-host Jamie Yuccas explained as she introduced the segment at the top of the 7:30 a.m. ET half hour.
Despite clearly outlining the scale of the problem, Yuccas fretted: “Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he launched Operation Lone Star last year to respond to these big increases in crossings. The project diverts billions of dollars in state taxpayer money toward border protection.”
Reporting live from the Texas/Mexico border, correspondent Lilia Luciano immediately touted “critics” attacking the law enforcement operation:
Well, we spent the last two days touring the border by land, air, and water to get a deeper understanding of exactly how Operation Lone Star works and why is Texas spending about $3 billion of taxpayer money on efforts that are mostly under the jurisdiction of the federal government, something that critics of Governor Greg Abbott have called an expensive political stunt. But the Governor says is necessary to secure the border.
While riding along with Texas of Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, Luciano noted: “Because the federal government, and not states, have the power to enforce immigration law, state troopers in Lieutenant Alvarez’s team can only arrest people for trespassing onto certain private ranches they reach across the border.”
Olivarez explained: “The primary goal of the mission is to stop the criminal activity from taking place, from entering the state of Texas and making it further into the interior.” Luciano lectured: “That sounds a lot like border enforcement....But that’s not up to states, that’s up to the federal government.”
It was left to Olivarez to point out the obvious that Luciano was avoiding: “Well, but one thing to understand is that Operation Lone Star is a comprehensive border strategy because the federal government has failed to take any type of action or have a strategy in place to stop some of the criminal activity.”
“But given the high number of crossings, that deterrence strategy may not be working,” Luciano proclaimed. She then sympathized with migrants who were apprehended by Texas DPS after crossing the border illegally:
LUCIANO: This is your fourth time trying to come in this month. Why do you keep coming?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT]: Because it’s very in Mexico.
LUCIANO: They told us they weren’t intending to commit crimes and all they have left is that and a broken dream. Your dream has ended. What was that dream about? To help your family. To have a future.
At least CBS has finally noticed the chaos at the southern border after all three network evening newscasts largely ignored the topic in March.
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Here is a full transcript of the April 21 segment:
7:30 AM ET
JAMIE YUCCAS: The Texas/Mexico border is seeing record numbers of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. and start a new life. In March, border officials reported more than 221,000 encounters along the southwest land border. That is nearly 28% more than last March.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he launched Operation Lone Star last year to respond to these big increases in crossings. The project diverts billions of dollars in state taxpayer money toward border protection.
Lilia Luciano went to the border and rode along with the Texas Department of Public Safety to gauge the success of the operation. This morning, she’s in Mission, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. Lia – Lilia, rather – good morning.
LILIA LUCIANO: Good morning to you, Jamie. Well, we spent the last two days touring the border by land, air, and water to get a deeper understanding of exactly how Operation Lone Star works and why is Texas spending about $3 billion of taxpayer money on efforts that are mostly under the jurisdiction of the federal government, something that critics of Governor Greg Abbott have called an expensive political stunt. But the Governor says is necessary to secure the border.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Inside Operation Lone Star; CBS News Rides Along With Texas’ Controversial Border Program]
Where are you headed?
LT. CHRIS OLIVAREZ [TEXAS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY]: So now we’re just – one of the troopers got an alert on a camera that went off. So that’s what we responding to, to another ranch.
LUCIANO: That’s Lieutenant Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety. His team’s mission, Operation Lone Star. It’s a state-run, taxpayer-funded operation Governor Greg Abbott launched last March to deter migrants from crossing the border.
OLIVAREZ: For the most part, you know, a lot of them that we’ve talked to, they say they’re trying to get to San Antonio or Houston and looking for work. But of course, within those groups, you do have criminals.
LUCIANO: Because the federal government, and not states, have the power to enforce immigration law, state troopers in Lieutenant Alvarez’s team can only arrest people for trespassing onto certain private ranches they reach across the border. Using choppers, boats – Mexico is right there –
UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER [TEXAS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY]: Yeah, can’t miss it.
LUCIANO: Drones and cameras on the ground to coordinate locations.
UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER 2 [TEXAS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY]: They’re headed east. Yeah, they’re headed towards us.
LUCIANO: These men were handcuffed and charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor.OLIVAREZ: Being out there, being able to make these apprehensions, and also keep the ranchers safe, that’s the most important thing.
LUCIANO: So it’s kind of a security for the ranchers?
OLIVAREZ: Well, not just ranchers, too, but also for the entire country because what we do know is that these individuals are not staying in Texas.
LUCIANO: Governor Abbott says DPS is meant to protect Texans.
OLIVAREZ: They have apprehended more than 200,000 migrants so far. They’ve arrested more than 11,000, including cartel members, drug smugglers, and cop killers.
LUCIANO: But according to a ProPublica, Texas Tribune, and The Marshall Project investigation, more than 2,000 of those charges stopped being counted because they were unrelated to illegal activity at the border. Meanwhile, Operation Lone Star costs Texas taxpayers about $2.5 million per week. And 10,000 Texas National Guard members have been sent to the border to aid in apprehensions under the program, with no end in sight.
Still, some private property owners are taking matters into their own hands. This whole long wall was built by a private property owner. The owner of this land built it up, and on the ends of the wall, in the gaps, that’s where DPS and the Texas National Guard are surveilling.
The DPS boats, armed with heavy weaponry, patrol the Rio Grande River.
OLIVAREZ: The primary goal of the mission is to stop the criminal activity from taking place, from entering the state of Texas and making it further into the interior.
LUCIANO: That sounds a lot like border enforcement.
OLIVAREZ: Right.
LUCIANO: But that’s not up to states, that’s up to the federal government.
OLIVAREZ: Well, but one thing to understand is that Operation Lone Star is a comprehensive border strategy because the federal government has failed to take any type of action or have a strategy in place to stop some of the criminal activity.
LUCIANO: But given the high number of crossings, that deterrence strategy may not be working. This is your fourth time trying to come in this month. Why do you keep coming?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT]: Because it’s very in Mexico.
LUCIANO: They told us they weren’t intending to commit crimes and all they have left is that and a broken dream. Your dream has ended. What was that dream about? To help your family. To have a future.
Having done these ride-alongs now for years along the border with Border Patrol, I was struck by the massive number of troopers that are deployed from all over Texas into just a handful of counties to do these trespassing arrests within only the ranches that they’re permitted to by the owners. So you have to wonder if they’re not there – they still have to call Border Patrol whether they encounter asylum seekers or in areas that they’re not authorized – you have to wonder if they weren’t there, would Border Patrol be the ones to just come in and detain the same number of people. Tony?
TONY DOKOUPIL: Yeah. Meanwhile, it’s costing the state of Texas $3 billion. Pretty big price tag and pretty big guns on those boats, as well. Lilia, thank you very much for your eye-opening report.
