U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday in Dallas that a 10-day statewide immigration enforcement operation in Texas led to 4,170 arrests. The operation, called Lone Star Mission, involved federal immigration officers working with Texas sheriff's offices and police departments.
Mullin said more than 60% of those arrested had criminal backgrounds, including convictions for murder, sexual assault, drunken driving and immigrant smuggling. Of the statewide total, 879 arrests took place in North Texas. Mullin said officers worked with local agencies on arrests involving people with outstanding warrants.
Mullin said 40% of those arrested did not have criminal records. He called these individuals "collateral criminals," saying they were not necessarily the intended targets of the enforcement actions. He said the operation allowed officers to locate people they had been trying to find for some time.