Coloring Outside the First Amendment Lines
The future of Operation Lone Star
With the latest reports of migrant crossing numbers at the Texas border showing consecutive months of continuing decline, lawmakers in Texas are considering how to move forward with Operation Lone Star, the state’s border enforcement program. Experts and stakeholders shared hours of testimony before the state’s Senate Committee on Border Security last week. They discussed the impact the operation has had and the continuing needs they believe are needed to expand it. However, other reports have questioned how effective it actually has been, highlighting how the program has increasingly risked the lives of both immigrants and borderland residents.
The state has spent over $11 billion to fund the program and lawmakers want to continue it regardless of how the federal government addresses immigration or how migrant numbers fluctuate. Most recently, Texas National Guard troops have begun placing razor wire between the state’s border and another U.S. state, New Mexico.
One large concern over the program is staffing. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McGraw shared that he is worried about the 500 trooper vacancies the agency currently faces. Having to deploy troopers to the border has resulted in staffing shortages throughout other parts of the state.
It appears that lawmakers have no plans to back down the operation, but it is not clear how much of a budget they are willing to devote to the program next year.
Springfield advocacy group files criminal complaint against Trump and Vance
Haitian Bridge Alliance filed a complaint asking for criminal charges against former President Trump and Vice Presidential candidate and Ohio Senator JD Vance. The complaint alleges that the men’s augmentation of false allegations against Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, OH directly contributed to the 33 bomb threats reported in the community.
“Like those who falsely shout ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater, Trump and Vance do not color within the lines of the First Amendment. They commit criminal acts,” the group said. The group is asking the Clark County Municipal Court to either issue arrest warrants for the men or to refer the case to the district attorney, stating in the complaint that their public statements about Haitian migrants go beyond the probable cause standard needed to charge them with the seven alleged crimes listed in the complaint.
Written by Jenifer Wellman, our Advocacy Director at We Choose Welcome.
