An illegal immigrant with a criminal record who was previously deported as a felon attempted to take away the rifle from a Texas National Guard soldier serving as part of “Operation Lone Star,” authorities said on Wednesday.
“The soldier attempted to capture a suspected male illegal immigrant who had fled law enforcement. The soldier issued verbal commands to the suspect, but he failed to comply,” DPS officials stated.
“The suspect then grabbed the soldier’s M-4 rifle with both hands in an attempt to seize the weapon for himself,” they continued. “The soldier was able to maintain possession of his weapon, and the suspect was apprehended with assistance from other National Guard soldiers.”
Officials identified the perpetrator as Ricardo Jaime-Ruiz, 45, of Mexico. He was taken into custody for attempting to seize the weapon from a public servant.
Operation Lone Star
In April, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott approved the transfer of $495.3 million to fund Operation Lone Star and other critical border operations at other state agencies.The vast majority of the funds—$465.3 million—went toward supporting the deployment of the Texas Army National Guard, with the remaining some $30 million supporting other state agencies.
“Texas will not sit on the sidelines as President [Joe] Biden continues turning a blind eye to the crisis at our southern border,” Abbott said in a statement at the time, adding, “This additional funding ensures the Lone Star State is fully equipped to provide Texans the border security strategy they demand and deserve.”
Since Biden took office in January 2021, when he loosened and reversed several crucial Trump-era policies designed to stem illegal immigration, there has been a massive influx of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows border agents apprehended 186,424 illegal aliens in August, up from less than 48,000 in August 2020 and 50,684 arrests made in August 2019.
