DHS secretary touts immigration enforcement operation in Texas before midterm elections
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin traveled to Texas on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026 to announce results of Lone Star Mission, a 10-day federal immigration enforcement operation that ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 29, 2026. The operation resulted in 4,170 arrests, with about 60% of those arrested having criminal histories, according to Mullin.
- When it happened
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026
- Where
- Texas, including north Houston and north Austin
- First reported by an outlet
- Oct 29, 2026 at 5:02 pm
- Confirmed by
- the original record or a trusted outlet
Taxes & money
| What | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Texas state funds spent on border security through Operation Lone Star | roughly $11 billion[1] | Texas |
| Federal reimbursement to Texas for border security costs through 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act fund | $7.5 billion[1] | Federal government |
Who's involved
The facts
- Lone Star Mission is a 10-day federal immigration enforcement operation separate from Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star border security initiative.[1]
- Federal immigration authorities arrested 4,170 people during Lone Star Mission, which ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 29, 2026.[1]
- About 60% of those arrested during Lone Star Mission had criminal histories, according to DHS Secretary Mullin; the remaining 40% were described as collateral arrests.[1]
- In early July 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an undocumented Mexican national, while he was on his way to work at a construction site in north Houston.[1]
- In late September 2026, ICE officers shot and wounded undocumented Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Garces Perez in north Austin.[1]
- Roughly 10 days after the Garces Perez shooting, an ICE agent driving an unmarked vehicle struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, an undocumented Mexican national, in Houston.[1]
- Texas has spent roughly $11 billion in state funds on border security through Abbott's Operation Lone Star.[1]
- The federal government has approved $7.5 billion to reimburse Texas for border security costs through a fund created by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[1]
Who said what
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin When you support sanctuary policies, you're supporting gang bangers, you're supporting child pedophiles, you're supporting rapists, you're supporting cartels, you're supporting organized crime.[1]
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Described the remaining 40% of arrests as collateral and said they should never be in the country regardless of whether they committed violent crimes or petty theft.[1]
- Federal authorities Officers acted in response to threats or while the men were attempting to evade arrest in each of the use-of-force encounters involving Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Wilber Garces Perez and Miguel Parra Hernandez.[1]
Where sources disagree
Circumstances of use-of-force incidents involving ICE officers
Sources
- News Center The Trump administration touts immigration enforcement push in Texas as Election Day nears Houston Public Media · Oct 29, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.