AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that Texas has initiated a state-led operation to address homelessness in Austin, deploying the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas State Guard, and the National Guard to remove nearly 50 encampments since late last week.
In a statement, Gov. Abbott emphasized the public safety risks posed by homeless encampments, stating that Texans should not have to endure such conditions.
“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.”
The operation aims to relocate individuals experiencing homelessness and clear encampments around the city. However, Austin city officials, including Mayor Kirk Watson, have expressed concerns about the lack of communication from the state regarding the operation’s execution.
“Sending in the State guard, or national guard, and DOS can make you look tough, but it does not solve the issues,” said Watson. “We don’t know where they’re sending anybody, and we don’t know how they’re going about doing that.”
David Gray, Director of the city’s Homeless Strategy Office, said it’s not uncommon for the state to come to Austin and remove people from state property, like underpasses and freeways. He said today was different.
“We were surprised when the Texas State Guard and the National Guard showed up at a city trail that we were cleaning,” Gray said. “Had we known they were planning to do that, we would’ve taken our crews that were at that site for 3 to 4 hours already and moved them someplace else to maximize the resources available to us,” Gray said.
Since the operation began, over 3,000 pounds of debris, including needles and weapons, have been removed, 24 repeat felony offenders arrested, and more than 125 grams of narcotics seized.
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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.
Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association, supported the operation, citing its positive impact on public safety. “They drive by these encampments. They see these activities. They see the needles. They’ve been around schools and all these other things, so it has a huge impact,” Bullock said.
Gov. Abbott did not disclose the number of individuals relocated or their new locations.