AUSTIN, TX — In a response to the ongoing crisis at the Texas-Mexico border, Governor Greg Abbott continues to intensify state-led efforts to secure Fronton Island, a notorious hotspot for cartel activity. In a letter sent to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this week, Abbott sharply criticized the federal government’s attempts to undermine Texas' mission to protect its border and combat transnational crime.
"For years, the cartels were running rampant in Fronton Island’s thick vegetation and bullet-pocked structures, staging illegal entries, stashing weapons, and evading law enforcement," Abbott’s letter reads. “I will not cede state land to criminal organizations smuggling people, weapons, and drugs. These threats put Texas law enforcement and communities in grave danger, and I will not stand idly by.”
Fronton Island, a small, uninhabited piece of land in the Rio Grande River near Starr County, has become a focal point in the battle against cartels. Situated about two miles northwest of Roma, Texas, the island serves as a strategic point for human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent confrontations between rival criminal groups. In 2023, the island became a major operational base for cartel activity, using its dense terrain to avoid detection.
Acknowledging its strategic importance, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham declared the island state property on September 7, 2023, clearing the way for Texas Rangers and other state forces to patrol the area. This move came under the banner of Operation Lone Star, a state-led initiative to counter federal inaction at the border.
Abbott, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard, have committed significant resources to secure the border, making progress in disrupting criminal activities. National Guard engineers are now working tirelessly to reinforce Fronton Island’s infrastructure, repairing damaged roads and installing razor wire to deter illegal crossings. These efforts are part of the broader state mission to stop the influx of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas from across the border.
Despite obstacles from the Biden administration, the numbers speak to the mission’s success. Since Operation Lone Star launched, Texas authorities have apprehended over 518,900 illegal immigrants and arrested more than 46,300 individuals, resulting in 40,200 felony charges. More shockingly, Texas law enforcement has seized over 521 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every person in the United States and Mexico.
“Every ounce of drugs seized and every individual apprehended would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation,” Abbott said. “This would have been possible due to the Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policies.”
However, federal officials have pushed back against Abbott’s actions. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas criticized Abbott’s immigration enforcement policies, describing them as unprecedented and disruptive to national interests. Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 6, Mayorkas said, “This is the first time in my 20 to 22 years of government service that I see a state act in direct contravention of national interests.”
Since launching Operation Lone Star in March 2021, Texas has deployed state troopers and National Guard soldiers along the 1,200-mile border to detain migrants crossing illegally. The state has also built over 30 miles of border wall, deployed concertina wire along the riverbank, and installed a 1,000-foot floating barrier on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass. While these measures have been praised by Abbott as crucial to securing the border, they have led to injuries among migrants and prompted lawsuits from the Biden administration to halt Texas' actions, including cutting through the wire to allow federal agents to apprehend migrants.
Mayorkas also criticized Texas for busing migrants to sanctuary cities without coordination, calling the move “incomprehensible” from a governance perspective. “Is it purely to wreak havoc and disorder in the receiving communities to make a political point?” he asked, referring to the relocation of thousands of migrants to cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles.
In addition, Mayorkas pointed out the economic impact of Texas' policies. In 2022, secondary inspections of commercial trucks at the Texas-Mexico border, conducted by state authorities, caused significant delays without yielding results. According to data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, no contraband was discovered during the inspections. “It reeked of economic havoc,” Mayorkas said, criticizing the state for disrupting cross-border trade.
While Texas has taken an aggressive stance on border security, the Biden administration has faced its own challenges. U.S. Border Patrol has seen a record number of migrant apprehensions during Biden’s presidency. However, in recent months, arrests have dropped to their lowest levels since 2020. The administration has defended its policies, which aim to create legal pathways for migrants from Latin America, and it continues to challenge Texas’ more punitive measures.
Governor Abbott remains undeterred by federal opposition, insisting that Texas will continue using every tool at its disposal to secure the state and protect its citizens. But as the conflict between state and federal authorities intensifies, the question of how to effectively manage border security while respecting national and state boundaries remains a contentious issue shaping the nation’s immigration debate.
Abbott’s message is clear: Texas will not back down, and neither will its determination to protect the state from the mounting threats across the Rio Grande. But federal officials, led by Mayorkas, argue that Abbott’s unilateral actions are undermining national interests, creating friction not only at the border but across the country.
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