9/29/2023

Florida Division of Emergency Management Issues Update on Operation Lone Star

EAGLE PASS, TX — Today, Florida Division of Emergency Management announced that Florida teams have made contact with over 75,000 undocumented migrants and assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) with over 2,700 arrests including felony charges for human smuggling, child endangerment, family violence, burglary, money laundering, drug charges and paraphernalia, unlawful carry of a weapon, terrorist threats, escape from federal custody, and a suspect with a capital murder warrant.

These actions have been ongoing since May 2023, with more than 700 Florida National Guardsmen, 40 Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents and eight support team members, 101 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Troopers, and 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers deployed to support these efforts.  

Since May 2023, Florida officials have interacted with undocumented migrants originating from over 13 different countries, including enemy countries of the United States: Iran, China, and Syria.

In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis answered the call for support and reinforcements following a letter from Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona requesting immediate assistance with the security crisis overwhelming law enforcement at the southern border. Under the Emergency Management Compact (EMAC) the following state resources remain deployed in Texas supporting the mass migration crisis at the U.S. southern border: 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

• Florida Department of Law Enforcement members remain deployed assisting Texas law enforcement agencies investigating criminal activity along the border associated with human trafficking and drug and weapon smuggling. Nearly 200 FDLE agents have been deployed during Operation Lone Star since March 2023.
• FDLE agents have assisted Texas DPS with arrests of violent felony suspects including gang members. Suspects were arrested on various Texas state charges including human smuggling, burglary, firearms, smuggling of persons, smuggling of persons with a firearm, child endangerment, escape from federal custody, and possession of controlled substance.
• As part of the arrests, FDLE agents helped seize cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, firearms, and boxes of ammunition.

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) – Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)

• 101 FHP troopers are deployed in support of Operation Lone Star.
• Troopers have been involved in 14,587 traffic stops, 955commercial vehicle inspections, and 176 pursuits, one of which was a post-crash from a double fatal vehicle incident as well as a traffic stop which led to gaining intel of a stash house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
• Troopers have assisted with 200 crashes (13 of which were fatal) and 80 DUI’s.
• These efforts have resulted in 217 narcotic-related charges along with 137federal and/or state warrant arrest on fugitives as well as the seizure of 32 firearms/ammunition. Throughout the course of their duties, troopers have identified gang members and recovered undocumented migrants concealed within vehicles.
• FHP has been involved with more than 1,143 human smuggling/human trafficking arrests.
• FHP has deployed unmanned aircraft on 2,601 occasions while facilitating multiple missions and assisted in identifying the location of 9,546 undocumented migrants previously documented in the count.
• Troopers have had encounters with multiple undocumented migrants originating from Brazil, China, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Vietnam and Middle Eastern countries. FHP has also encountered African, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Bolivian, and Iranian undocumented migrants who were detained and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

• A total of 15 waves of sworn FWC Officers and mechanics have deployed to Texas to assist federal, state, and local agencies with response efforts, including interdictions and turnbacks. A total of 308 FWC personnel have deployed to Texas to assist state and federal agencies, including a total of 300 four-wheel drive patrol trucks and 19 vessels.
• FWC’s law enforcement assets continue to provide assistance to responding federal, state, county, and municipal agencies with border security, information gathering, humanitarian response, search and rescue efforts, officer safety and assistance, emergency medical services, and other similar duties.
• FWC officers are conducting water- and land-based border patrol activities in conjunction with Texas law enforcement, using shallow draft vessels and airboats capable of navigating variable depth river environments and four-wheel-drive patrol vehicles.
• FWC officers have worked with Texas DPS and local law enforcement with the arrest of 168 individuals for various charges.

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