Free Republic

As protests and gunfire erupted last week across Reynosa, Hidalgo County authorities stood prepared at the international bridges, ready for any possibility. With mobile command units connected to statewide intelligence centers and dozens of officers armed to confront potential threats, law enforcement officials responded to Tuesday's violence like they never have before. The incident prompted state officials to enact for the first time a border-wide emergency plan developed to address threats from Mexico's ongoing war against its entrenched drug cartels. Dubbed the "Operation Border Star Contingency Plan," Gov. Rick Perry's office drafted the policy with local, state and federal law...

Ranchers Believe Heat is to Blame for Deaths FALFURRIAS--The heat index in Brooks County has been hitting triple digits over the last couple of weeks and Border Patrol Agents are stepping up their search and rescue efforts to prevent heat-related deaths along the South Texas border. The Border Patrol's Search Trauma and Rescue team is working special operations in Brooks County. While this elite team known as BORSTAR is out to save illegals from the heat, a Brooks County rancher said it may be a little bit too late. Ranchers in Brooks County said illegal immigrants are dying on their...

In just two months, Texas' latest border crackdown has practically wiped out cross-border crime in Hidalgo County, Gov. Rick Perry said Monday in San Antonio. Speaking on the opening day of the weeklong Texas Homeland Security Conference at the Convention Center, Perry touted the success of "Operation Border Star," an effort backed by a $110 million infusion from a state law passed this year. The effort, involving an unannounced, massive "surge" of local, state and federal officers for weeks at a time in border areas known for heavy traffic in drug and human smuggling, is a continuation of similar crackdowns...

Operation Border Star ongoing along the border region AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today announced the first meetings of the newly-appointed Border Security Council, October 1-3, 2007. The meetings will take place in border communities, offering a public forum for testimony relating to strengthening safety and security in the Texas-Mexico border region and areas statewide. The meetings will occur during the first phase of the State of Texas’ newest border security surge, Operation Border Star. “Texans know that border-related crime is not isolated to the border region. All Texans, and all Americans, are affected by the smuggling of drugs and...