La Unión Del Pueblo Entero has testified against Operation Lone Star during a hearing before the state Senate Committee on Border Security at the state Capitol in Austin and lobbied for undocumented farmworkers in Washington, D.C.
“There is no better place to raise a family than the Rio Grande Valley, which was the case until Operation Lone Star started in March of 2021,” Tania Chavez, director of management analysis at LUPE, told the Senate Committee on Border Security Nov. 15.
Since its start, Operation Lone Star has resulted in over 325,000 migrant apprehensions, over 21,900 criminal arrests and more than 19,400 felony charges, according to a Nov. 18 news release from the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During this border mission, the Texas Department of Public Safety seized over 352 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
Chavez and fellow LUPE representatives Alexis Elicerio, a civic engagement organizer, and Evon Bueno, a data entry clerk, called for the immediate termination of Operation Lone Star, accusing the state military mission of being a waste of state funds.
Chavez explained to the committee how she lived as an “undocumented citizen” for 20 years in the Rio Grande Valley and knows firsthand what it is to live in fear.
“Dining at restaurants, with CBP and DPS officers sitting right next to you, gives you a grouching pain in the stomach,” she told the committee. “Operation Lone Star is the latest attempt from Gov. Abbott to criminalize immigrants and people of color and border residents, like myself, in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Abbott’s focus has been border security. The Operation Lone Star initiative has cost the state more than $4 billion since its launch, according to the news release.
“Recently, The Monitor, our local newspaper, released photos of overcrowded jail facilities in Hidalgo County, a result of the unnecessary arrests of immigrants crossing the border looking for humanitarian aid and a dignified way of life,” Chavez said.
In an interview with The Rider, Elicerio said he hopes LUPE’s testimony provides a different perspective of Operation Lone Star.
“We kind of present to them, like, our communities that are actually being harmed, you know, people in the community,” he said. “People that have to deal with the consequences of all these bad legislations. So by going in person and going to testify and making our case, showing them … a different perspective from what they are used to hearing, which is just law enforcement, you know, pushing their own narrative, which is usually very inaccurate or misinformed on what is actually going on in the Valley.”
Members of LUPE asked the senators to investigate the operation.
“Senators, before you allocate more funds to Operation Lone Star, we ask that you investigate Operation Lone Star and immediately cut funding for the program,” Chavez said. “Sen. [Juan “Chuy”] Hinojosa, you and your colleagues should condemn Operation Lone Star because it is harmful for our border communities. It is harmful for your Valley.”
Hinojosa, a member of the committee, showed support for LUPE members and shared how, as a child, he was deported with his mother, who was not legally living in the country.
On Nov. 15 and 16, LUPE members lobbied members of Congress to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in Washington, D.C.
“The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a bipartisan immigration, agricultural legislation that would provide undocumented farmworkers and their immediate family members legal immigration status and a pathway to citizenship in the future,” said Joaquin Garcia, director of organizing at LUPE.
The House of Representatives passed the bill in March 2021. It is now in the Senate, where it requires 60 votes to pass.
“I feel like, you know, nationwide, farmworkers are essential workers,” Garcia said. “And they are crucial to the well-being of America, the community, the economy [and] the food supply.”
He said farmworkers had to work hard during the pandemic.
“Farmworkers were out there doing the work, because food had to be on people’s tables,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, a lot of these people that maybe don’t have documents, they didn’t get any stimulus checks. So they had to work hard to sustain their families, even during a pandemic. They have earned the right to apply for legal status. And by passing this act, it would also help secure America’s food supply.”
During the D.C. trip, LUPE members met with members of Congress, including U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas).
“We took three farmworkers with us to the trip and they [gave] testimonials of all the work that they have been doing,” Garcia said. “At some point, these farmworkers were undocumented as well. So they talked about all those things with Congress members. … Hopefully, this bill comes to the floor so that they can vote in favor of it.”
