Texas To Close Border Jail As Illegal Crossings Plunge, Abbott Says

JIM HOGG COUNTY, TX — Texas has started shutting down the Operation Lone Star jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County, citing a sharp drop in illegal border crossings, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.

The jail opened in April of 2022 to process individuals arrested for border-related crimes in the region.

Abbott attributed the decline to President Donald Trump’s "decisive and swift leadership" on border security, which he said has driven illegal immigration to historic lows.

"Thanks to President Trump, illegal border crossings are at all-time record lows and, unlike under President Joe Biden, the Trump Administration is quickly deporting illegal immigrants from our country," said Abbott.

"As a result, there is no longer a need for Texas to maintain the jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County. Texas will continue to assist the Trump Administration in arresting, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants."

Texas has begun phasing out operations at the jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County, with plans to close it in April. State officials have offered the facility to the Trump administration to support ongoing border security efforts.

The number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. southern border has dropped to its lowest level in decades, according to the New York Times.

Nationwide, Border Patrol recorded about 8,300 apprehensions of migrants crossing the border unlawfully between southern ports of entry in February, a sharp drop from 29,100 in January and 47,300 in December, Axios reported.