HOUSTON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 106 people have been killed while 301 others injured during car chases by Texas law enforcement agents since the state launched the Operation Lone Star program in March 2021 to crack down on illegal immigration, according to a report on Thursday.
Of the deaths, 10 were bystanders not in the chased cars, and two were children, said the report issued by Human Rights Watch.
The injured included 20 bystanders and 4 children, said the report based on Texas police data and news stories, noting that the vehicle chases hit hardest in counties taking part in the border security program.
In October 2024, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen being chased by Texas police crashed into a car driven by a 44-year-old mother on her way to work. She died in the crash.
In November 2023, a chase in Zavala County killed eight people, including four suspected migrants and two bystanders.
Pursuits rose by approximately 50 percent from about 1,680 annually before Operation Lone Star to an average of 2,440 per year in 2022 and 2023.
As of August 2024, Texas was on track for a third year in a row with more than 2,000 chases, according to the report. Over 70 percent of this statewide surge occurred in Operation Lone Star counties, which comprised only 15 percent of Texas's population.
Texas police data also showed that 95 percent of chases in the counties where the program unfolded were started by state troopers, and 80 percent of these chases were for small traffic violations.
About 16 percent of chases led to property damage. In some cases, the damage was over 100,000 U.S. dollars, the report added.
Human Rights Watch also accused that the program bolstered racial discrimination and prolonged detentions of migrants.
The program has cost more than 11 billion U.S. dollars so far, according to the report, calling for the state legislature to terminate appropriations for the program.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has recently intensified the state's involvement in immigration enforcement after President Donald Trump issued several executive orders and policies against immigration last month.
