AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, both the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) strike teams and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were conducting an immigration operation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in north Austin near north Lamar along Rundberg Lane.
A statement from DPS said these efforts were a part of the department’s continued collaboration with federal law enforcement partners. The department said that these operations were aimed at combating illegal immigration and arresting criminal illegal immigrants.
These actions came after President Donald Trump announced plans to crack down on immigrants in the United States illegally.
In Austin, multiple anti-ICE protests were led by various groups throughout the city. Recent raids and detentions sparked these protests.
A protest on June 16, held by an Austin student activist group, said that protesters gathered to “denounce ICE’s ongoing role in tearing apart families and terrorizing immigrant communities in Austin and beyond,” a KXAN report said.
DPS said at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, the department has strike teams that are constantly working across the state in support of ICE and others. Strike teams are made up of Troopers, Special Agents and Texas Rangers, and are supported by DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism and Aircraft Operations Division.
As of April 8, DPS has identified almost 5,800 criminal illegal immigrants with active warrants in Texas, according to DPS.
