BY ARTEM KOLISNICHENKO
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Texas has expanded its border operations at a staggering scale, effectively building a parallel immigration system and testing the limits of state authority. Operation Lone Star’s cost has already surpassed $11 billion since 2021, according to a Texas Tribune analysis, with more than $3 billion allocated this year alone, amid requests for up to $13.5 billion in federal reimbursements — an amount greater than many states’ public health budgets.
Although border crossings have reached their lowest levels in five decades, according to Customs and Border Protection data, the state continues duplicating federal efforts, even deploying National Guard troops. According to the Houston Chronicle, only 24 percent of ICE referrals from local police led to actual detentions — the rest were bureaucratic exercises, each requiring significant resources and time, based on Houston Police Department operations. These practices raise serious constitutional questions and expose the state to potential lawsuits and financial penalties, as the ACLU has argued.
Even as arrests drop to record lows, costs keep climbing — driven by payments to private contractors, security firms, and local departments that are reimbursed for cooperating. In Texas, private contractors benefited from substantial funds in the first months of the year, exceeding prior migrant program spending patterns. The federal border security grants driving the funds continue even though they were initially justified by threats that no longer align with reality.
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The paradox is self-sustaining — the longer the system runs, the more it feeds itself. The cost per detainee continues to rise and the overall number of detainees rises, enriching private vendors and deepening bureaucratic inertia. The border itself is now quiet, but the constant “border crisis” narrative helps secure the next round of funding, prioritizing political optics over measurable outcomes or public accountability.
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Yeah boy! Facists and their storm troopers…
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