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AUSTIN, Texas - Border community activists testified against Operation Lone Star at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Border Security at the state capitol in Austin.

Operation Lone Star is Gov. Greg Abbott\\u2019s $4 billion border enforcement initiative that targets undocumented migrants for arrest, jail, and deportation. It has been in the national news because Abbott ordered state laws enforcement agencies to bus some of the undocumented immigrants they capture to other states in the nation.\\xa0

OLS has also come under scrutiny for the money it has burned through. Some estimates say the initiative is costing $2.5 million per week, with funding being moved to the operation from other state agencies. Legislators such as state Sen. Juan Hinojosa of McAllen have questioned its sustainability.

Among the border and immigrant rights groups to testify at the Senate Committee on Border Security hearing were La Uni\\xf3n Del Pueblo Entero, the Border Network for Human Rights, and Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance. They argue Operation Lone Star is unconstitutional because border security is a responsibility of the federal government. They say the operation has been designed to criminalize and rapidly deport migrants, many of whom are seeking safety in the U.S.\\xa0

In their testimony, the border community activists said OLS promotes racial profiling, fuels the mass incarceration of people of color, and encourages white supremacy rhetoric. They argue the money given to OLS would be better spent on street lights, healthcare, and workforce training.

The border advocates called on members of the committee to visit the border and see how colonia residents live in fear. They also want to be invited to speak at future border security and immigration hearings as a recognized panel, just like ranchers and farmers were at a hearing in Eagle Pass. Instead, the advocates had to sign up to testify in the public comment period and were limited to three minutes of oral testimony.

Here is some of their testimony.

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