The Texas Department of Public Safety said officers separated migrant parents on property trespassing charges while turning over mothers and children to federal authorities. This change marks a reversal from the previous position of Texas law enforcement officials, who argued that families should stay together and be referred to federal authorities. Amrutha Jindal, chief advocate for Operation Star Indigent Defense, estimates that the number of family separations could reach around 40, although accurate data is limited.

According to an article in the Associated Press, concern about family  separations involves a lack of clarity about how authorities are determining who is part of a family unit. Some families were told they would be reunited with their loved ones, only to be detained separately. The Department of Public Safety claims the children were never separated from their mothers but confirmed that migrant men were detained on state charges even when they were with their families.

Texas' approach to securing the border without federal coordination has drawn criticism from immigration advocates, prompting comparisons to family separations during the Trump era, though they are different in nature. The Trump administration separated thousands of children from their parents and found it difficult to reunify them later.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has expressed concerns about the reported family separations and advocated for a safe and humane approach to managing the border. The situation highlights the challenges faced by migrant families and the need for a coordinated and careful response to ensure that human dignity is respected.

“Most recently, Abbott installed a 1,000-foot (305-meter) line of buoys the size of wrecking balls on the Rio Grande and along the Eagle Pass region, which prompted the Justice Department to sue Texas for the removal of the floating barrier”, according to the publication.

The state of Texas has implemented several border security initiatives, including Operation Lone Star, which involved sending police and military personnel to patrol the border, building barbed-wire fences and transporting migrants to Democratic-led cities. These actions have been the subject of criticism and legal challenges.