AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the state of Texas has started a homeless encampment cleanup operation in the city of Austin.
“Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals,” Governor Abbott said in a press release. “Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business.”
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The operation will be led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas State Guard, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).
Gov. Abbott said in the press release that individuals experiencing homelessness who are violating state law or local ordinances will be arrested, and debris created by homeless encampments will be removed.
Since the operation began late last week, the State of Texas has:
Removed 48 encampmentsRemoved over 3,000 pounds of debrisArrested 24 repeat felony offendersSeized over 125 grams of narcotics
“During the camp cleanup operations, ten subjects have been found to have outstanding warrants,” Gov. Abbott said in the press release.
Save Austin Now co-chair Matt Mackowiak posted the following statement on X, praising the governor’s move:
In May 2021, 90,000 Austin residents voted to reinstate the homeless camping ban by passing Prop B 58%-42%. Days later, the state banned homeless camping statewide. While Save Austin Now remains in active litigation over Austin’s refusal to enforce Prop B, the simple fact is that Austin has moved too slowly to clean up our city from illegal homeless encampments, which harm public safety, public health, tourism, and our environment. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Abbott here in dedicating state resources to a problem Austin created and to help solve a problem Austin won’t solve.