Texas officials are exploring a plan to send newly arrived migrants directly to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities for expedited deportation processing, signaling a significant shift in the state's border strategy, The New York Post reported.
Texas is weighing a proposal to reroute state-chartered buses carrying migrants from sanctuary cities to ICE detention centers for expedited processing and deportation, according to state sources.
The proposed plan expands "Operation Lone Star," Texas' initiative to deter illegal border crossings. Although Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet approved the policy, a state government source told The Post that it reflects the state's commitment to maintaining stringent border security measures.
"We are always going to be involved in border security so long as we're a border state," the source said. "We spent a lot of taxpayer money to have the level of deterrent that we have on the border, and we can't just walk away."
The proposal has piqued the interest of Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump's newly appointed border czar. Homan expressed his willingness to collaborate with Texas on the initiative and plans to discuss the matter with Abbott.
"We're going to help them finish this job and secure Texas, and we're going to work in partnership," Homan said, adding that the incoming administration will fully support state-led border enforcement efforts.
Homan emphasized that the incoming administration will prioritize deporting migrants who pose threats to public safety and national security.
Under the plan, Texas would redirect buses currently chartered to sanctuary cities such as New York, Chicago, and Denver to ICE detention facilities. This shift would enable federal agents to process migrants more efficiently. The state would cover the transportation costs, and federal reimbursements are anticipated.
"That's a way we could be involved in that, and of course, they would reimburse us for paying for the [bus] contract," the state source said.
Texas began busing migrants to sanctuary cities in 2022, sending nearly 120,000 individuals to urban areas including New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The initiative aimed to highlight the border crisis and redirect attention to border states' challenges.
New York City alone received approximately 45,900 migrants.
With the Trump administration set to return to power, Texas is proactively preparing for enhanced federal-state coordination. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham supports the state's offer of land along the border for the construction of deportation centers.
"My office has identified several of our properties and is standing by, ready to make this happen on Day One of the Trump presidency," Buckingham said during a recent border visit.
State officials argue that the U.S. can restore border order and address the challenges posed by illegal crossings by reinstating stricter immigration policies.
"By voting Trump back into office, voters soundly repudiated Biden's radical open borders policies that made less Americans safe," said Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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