Governor Deploys Wildfire Search & Rescue Support To New Mexico
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry. To date, Texas Law Enforcement has now seized over 504 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 514,500 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 44,300 criminal arrests, with more than 38,700 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis,Texas has also transported:
- Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
- Over 45,700 migrants to New York City since August 2022
- Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
- Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
- Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
- Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023
"Texas is proud to lend our neighbors a helping hand," said Governor Abbott."As we continue to support New Mexico's response, I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy Texas A&M Task Force 1 personnel to New Mexico to assist in wildfire search and rescue efforts.
"Texas stands ready to answer the call for help when disaster strikes — whether it's here in the Lone Star State or for our neighbors across the country.”
Texas A&M Task Force 1 has deployed an Incident Support Team Cache comprised of support personnel, semi-trailer trucks, a communications vehicle, command vehicle, and equipment.
Texas A&M Task Force 1 functions as one of the 28 federal teams under FEMA’s National Urban Search and Rescue System and is one of two statewide search and rescue teams under the direction of the TDEM. Texas A&M Task Force 1 is sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), a member of The Texas A&M University System, and is headquartered in College Station, Texas.
