lone star riverboat austin tx

Lone Star Riverboat

• 10:00am - 5:00pm
• 10:00am - 2:00pm

Authentic double-decked, paddlewheel riverboat provides sightseeing and sunset bat-watching cruises on Town Lake. Private charters available. Tickets at Austin Visitor Center.

Facility Information

• Event maximum capacity (# ppl): 80

Facility Info

• Largest Room 1500
• Number of Rooms 2

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Lone Star Riverboat Sightseeing Tours

4.7 1045 votes

208 Barton Springs Road

(512) 327-1388

About Lone Star Riverboat

• 1 hour tour
• Reservations recommended
• Departure time is approximately 30 minutes prior to sunset.
• Departure times may vary, please call for the departure schedule.
• 32' and 35' Electric cruisers
• ADA compliant
• Prices: Adults - $13, Seniors (60 and over) - $13, Children (12 and under) - $8, Children (2 and under) - Free
• Saturday and Sunday - 12:30PM & 3:00PM
• 1 hour narrated tour
• ADA compliant 
• Boarding begins 45 minutes before tour time. 
• Prices: Adults - $13, Seniors (60 and over) - $11, Children (12 and under) - $8, Children (2 and under) - Free
• Friday - 10:30PM
• 1 hour scenic tour
• Boarding begins at 9:45PM
• All Tickets: $13 per ticket
• Friday, Saturday and Sunday - 5:30PM
• Non-alcoholic CASH only beverage service (on the Lone Star) or bring your own beverage of choices
• Boarding begins at 4:45PM until 5:15PM
• Minimum number of people: 30
• Maximum number of people: 130
• $18.00 per person (30 - 80 people)
• $16.00 per person (81 - 130 people)
• Children 2 and under are no charge
• Two hour charter time (plus 30 minutes prior to departure for boarding)
• $200 for each additional hour (may be broken into 1/2 hour increments)
• Catering and beverage service may be arranged at an additional cost (see below)
• Charges are for the number of people guaranteed or on a per person basis, whichever is greater

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Lone Star Riverboat Cruises

(512) 327-1388

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises & Austin are two shining stars of Texas! Join us aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly vessels. Experience the exhilaration of the outdoors, the abundant waterfowl, our ever changing city skyline and the natural beauty that is Austin. We’re located on Lake Lady Bird in Austin, TX and feature boat charters, daily bat watching tours, weekend afternoon sightseeing tours, and a moonlight cruises on Friday nights. Free parking is available at Vic Mathias Shores subject to special event availability and on a first come first serve basis.

About Charters Imagine your social occasion on a delightful cruise right through the heart of downtown Austin, Texas aboard The Lone Star. Private charters are available year-round for groups of 30 to 100 people. Visit our charters page on our full website for more details.

Daily Bat Watching Sunset Cruises Climb aboard the Little Star, Northern Star and Southern Star Daily (March – October) for a spectacular sight to see the bats emerge from the bridge at sunset! An estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Tours last 1 hour and start 30 minutes before sunset! Prices are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, $8 for children aged 2-12, and free for children under 2.

Weekend Afternoon Sightseeing Cruises Enjoy a quiet, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly electric cruisers-normally on the Lone Star – our big double-decker boat. Come join us and take in the picturesque sights of Lady Bird Lake. Tour times are Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 3pm, boarding begins 45 minutes prior to departure. Prices are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, $8 for children aged 2-12, and free for children under 2.

Friday Night Moonlight Cruise Enjoy a romantic, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard The Lone Star. Come join us and take in the beautiful Austin skyline under the stars with your special someone. Tours are Friday night at 10:30 and boarding begins at 9:45. All tickets are $13.

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises Reviews

Roodnel charles.

My wife and I did a 8Pm tour! Beautiful Sunset.. Very good and really fair pricing! And Captain Onsolo (don't know the right spelling, my bad..loll) was really fun.. Captain Natalie was on board too.. we've seen few bats... Highly recommend it..

Margaret Wurdeman

Great way to see the bats in Austin! Tour Guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. This was on my husband's bucket list and he enjoyed every minute of it!!

Even though we didn’t see the horde of bats as seen in so many of the pictures, the tour guide, Captain Toby was worth the price of admission. So much fun information about the Austin skyline in addition to the bats themselves. We had to give up as it looked like they weren’t coming out in the rain, but on our walk back to the car we stopped on the path under the bridge and witnessed groups of bats flying around the bridge pillars and into the nearby trees. It was very cool. Would definitely recommend the boat tour over standing in the bridge or a nearby patch of grass. Rainy conditions aside, our group of 3 really enjoyed it.

Had a great experience on the riverboat sunset bat tour! It's a little early in the year to see all the bats but we saw a few hundred! The guide told us that right now the bats are pregnant, and once they have their babies later in the summer, there will be up to a billion bats out! Excited to do this again!

Nicholas Hancock

Took the sunset bat tour after hearing it’s a ‘must do’ when visiting Austin and we had a great time once we got moving. The boat captain was great. She had an immense sense of humour and was very knowledge as we went up and down the lake on a little tour before viewing the bats. It was a surreal experience to see all the bats emerge from under the bridge. I was expecting a mass exodus but they gradually emerged and you need to be mindful that it’s nature and can be different day by day. The only slight criticism was, upon arrival, you’re left on the small boat in the heat for well over an hour before you depart. Overall we had a great time and would recommend the tour when on a visit to Austin.

Andre Rieder

We did the boat tour in early April, had great weather, and lots of bats to watch. In addition, Captain Mike, provided talked us through the architecture of the city in an entertaining and informative way. Highly recommend!

Tatiana Pak

Bat-watching from the boat was a lot of fun. They took us on a small excursion along the lake and shared some interesting facts and fun stories about Austin. When the sun came down, we saw thousands of bats flew away from the bridge. Definitely great experience!

Definitely the way to see the bats at Congress Bridge. An added bonus is the peaceful cruise along the gorgeous Austin skyline.

We took a bat cruise and absolutely loved it. Boarding was prompt and efficient. The employees were all lovely. Our capital DJ kept us safe and our other captain (I think Tony) was informative and gave great information. Get there early if you want the upper deck of the larger boat as they begin boarding at 6.15pm. Concessions are CASH only so be prepared if you want a drink.

Carrie Ciaverelli, PT, MPT, CYT

Our family and friend visiting had a wonderful cruise with Captain Mike. The bats were amazing and we had a great view from the boat when they decided to come out for their evening flights. We also enjoyed learning about the Austin skyline and some of the history. If you have out-of-town guests visiting Austin, we highly recommend this as a truly Austin experience.

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises VIP List   Learn more about the VIP program

Total Score: 3680

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Do512 Family - What to do in Austin with Kids

Lone star riverboat cruise: best way to see the bats in austin.

Please note that this article was written before the pandemic. For full details about limited capacity boat tours and safety precautions due to COVID-19, please visit lonestarriverboat.com .

We all know that Austin is batty for bats. Austin is home to the largest Mexican free-tail bat colony in North America, and we love to celebrate these winged creatures that dwell underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Seeing the bats swoop out from under the bridge is quite an amazing site!

But what’s the best way to see the bats? And when?

“Bat Season” takes place every year from March to November, and bats emerge around sunset to feed on a variety of flying insects such as mosquitoes and moths. Typically, late July and early August is considered “peak season” to see a spectacular show.

You can certainly join the crowds and stand along the sidewalk of the bridge to wait for them to take flight, we we think the BEST way to see them is from the water. So we decided to hop aboard the Lone Star Riverboat Sunset Bat Watching Cruise for a special “true Austin” experience.

The boats available for this Bat Watching Cruise include a large pontoon boat, the Southern Star, that seats up to 60 people and the smaller boat, Little Star, which carries 30. Both are open-air, so you’re sure to get a great view no matter where you’re seated.

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Boats Our Boats

Lone Star Riverboat has three different boats for you to choose from, to host your next Austin adventure. Chose bethween luxurious double-decked, paddle-wheel riverboat, or two smaller boats ideal for sunset/bat watching.

The Lone Star

Our largest boat, the Lone Star, is Austin's newest and most luxurious double-decked, paddle-wheel riverboat

The Little Star

The Little Star was built in 2000 and offers sunset/bat watching cruises and sightseeing cruises March through October.

The Southern Star

The Southern Star was built in 2006 and offers sunset/bat watching cruises March through October.

The Northern Star

The Northern Star was built in 2017 and offers sunset/bat watching cruises March through October.

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• Operation Lone Star Decreases Illegal C…

Operation Lone Star Decreases Illegal Crossings Into Texas By 74%

Government and Politics

June 14, 2024

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 513,700 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 44,000 criminal arrests, with more than 38,600 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 489 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.  Texas has also transported:

• Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
• Over 45,700 migrants to New York City since August 2022
• Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
• Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
• Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
• Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies.   RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:   WATCH: Governor Abbott: President Biden Is Doing Nothing To Secure The Border   Governor Abbott joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox News earlier this week to discuss President Biden’s new border executive order that will do little to stem the flow of illegal immigration into the country. The Governor criticized the new policy that invites more migrants to illegally enter rather than secure the border.   “The people need to understand that what Biden has done is not do anything to actually secure the border,” said Governor Abbott. “In fact, it’s the opposite because [President Biden] is actually authorizing more people to cross the border illegally. As long as the Biden Administration refuses to provide any type of enforcement, any type of blockage, of people crossing illegally, all that this new Biden policy is going to do is to actually attract and invite even more people to cross the border illegally. Ever since the Biden order went into place, there’s no slowing down of people crossing the border. In fact, it’s just accelerating.”

Governor Abbott: President Biden’s Open Border Policies Endanger American Lives    On X, formerly known as Twitter, Governor Abbott shared an article on Tuesday reporting that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency arrested eight individuals who crossed the border illegally with ties to the terrorist organization ISIS.   The Governor noted that President Biden’s reckless open border policies are endangering American lives by allowing dangerous criminals and terrorists into our country.

Governor Abbott: Texas National Guard Repel Illegal Immigrants In Eagle Pass   Governor Abbott on Thursday highlighted Texas National Guard Boat Response Teams in Eagle Pass stopping a group of individuals attempting to cross illegally into Texas.   The Governor reaffirmed Texas’ ongoing mission to deter and repel illegal immigration into the state. 

Governor Abbott: Texas’ Historic Border Mission Decreases Illegal Immigration In Texas   Earlier this week, Governor Abbott spotlighted an article reporting illegal border crossings in Texas have significantly deceased since the launch of Operation Lone Star in 2021.    Texas has seen a 74% decrease in illegal crossings due to the state’s unprecedented border security efforts.

WATCH: DPS Arrests Two Human Smugglers In Brooks County     Earlier this week, a DPS trooper stopped a Dodge Challenger on FM-755 in Brooks County. During the traffic stop, DPS troopers observed three individuals unrestrained in the back seat and determined that the driver and passenger, both from Rio Grande City, were involved in human smuggling. Additionally, DPS troopers discovered three more illegal immigrants in the trunk of the vehicle who were showing signs of dehydration.   The driver and passenger were both charged with six counts of smuggling of persons. Six illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

WATCH: DPS Arrests Teen Smuggler During Traffic Stop In Webb County   DPS troopers requested assistance from a Border Patrol K9 during a traffic stop on IH-35 in Webb County. The K9 alerted to the rear part of the vehicle, where DPS troopers discovered three illegal immigrants.   The driver, 17-year-old Jose Luis Garcia, from Laredo, was charged with smuggling of persons. All three illegal immigrants, from Guatemala, were referred to Border Patrol.   DPS Arrests Jordanian National For Criminal Trespass In Maverick County   A 22-year-old Jordanian national, Mohammad Saher Mohammad Nofal, was among a group of 131 illegal immigrants arrested by DPS troopers in Maverick County for criminal trespass this week. In addition to Nofal, the group included 83 other males and 47 females from Columbia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.    All 131 illegal immigrants were transported to the Val Verde Processing Center.

WATCH: Texas National Guard Constructs New Barriers To Stop Illegal Crossings   Texas National Guard soldiers continue to utilize every available tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal border crossings. In El Paso, First Lieutenant Ronan Kelley with Task Force West highlighted a new, innovative "cheval de frise" style border barrier soldiers are utilizing along the border. The barriers are being placed in drainage areas by Texas National Guard soldiers to impede illegal access into Texas.   “CDF stands for 'cheval de frise,'” said First Lieutenant Kelley. “We picked [CDF] because it’s a large barrier. This will prevent the [concertina] wire from getting washed in the [Rio Grande River] while still providing an obstacle to slow down [illegal immigrants] from entering the United States.”

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Is Texas' Operation Lone Star another example of a program once started, never ends?

S tate Sen. Bryan Birdwell asked the quiet part out loud regarding the ever-spreading tentacles and ever-escalating costs of Texas' border security initiative: "How long can we do this?"

Birdwell, a Republican from Granbury who chairs the Texas Senate Committee on Border Security, received no direct answer to his question during a committee hearing Wednesday . But Mike Banks, Gov. Greg Abbott's border czar, said Operation Lone Star launched in early 2021 to battle a rise in unlawful immigration and might have to get bigger before anyone can think about shrinking it. The initiative has ballooned to an $11 billion price tag and now features a military base camp that is under construction along the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle Pass.

But Birdwell's concerns about lawmakers one day having to face declining revenue — and history shows that Texas is not immune to cyclical budget shortfalls — highlight a truism about expensive government initiatives at both the state and federal levels: Once they are in place, a constituency forms around them because they bring money and jobs to the section of the state where operations are centered. And the prospect of dismantling them is economically painful for the affected region, and therefore politically very difficult to do.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the thawing of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the U.S. Defense Department set about closing military installations across the country simply because the large force needed for the frightening prospect of fighting World War III was no longer necessary.

Congress as an institution fully understood that. But individual Congress members with vulnerable military bases that anchored countless jobs, troops and civilians in their districts fought tooth and nail to keep them open. Or to draw down as much federal money from the Department of Defense Base Closure Account as they could get their hands on to repurpose the bases for civilian use and ease the pain of transition.

More: In hunt for cartel hitmen, Texas Ranger's biggest obstacle may be the border itself

Operation Lone Star, because of the sheer geographical size of Texas' border, is spread farther and thinner than Fort Bliss or Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, meaning its local economic effect is also wider. But that spread does take in more constituencies.

The thousands of National Guard soldiers and airmen and the Department of Public Safety troopers deployed to South Texas probably spend a fair portion of their paychecks in the cities and towns where they are based. That's good for local shop owners, restaurants, hotels and probably even a pawnshop or two.

The sheriffs whose counties are on the border and a few whose counties are the buffer between South Texas and the rest of the state have been on the receiving end of tens of millions of dollars from the state to offset the cost of helping with Operation Lone Star. If those dollars dry up, away go the deputies whose salaries are covered by that money and perhaps too the maintenance costs of equipment that came in courtesy of the Legislature.

More: Wedged between politics and Texas muscle, migrants thread dangerous path across border

Then there's Abbott's vaunted Forward Base Camp , which was just activated on 80 state-purchased acres near the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass. It was built to accommodate up to 2,300 soldiers and has barracks, a mess hall, a recreation center and a laundry and a library. All that gives the facility an air of permanency and might even attract a couple of fast-food joints and a watering hole or two for off-post, after-hours R&R.

A further unknown in mid-June 2024 is who is going to be setting national immigration policy in January 2025 when two things happen almost at once. In Washington, a president is going to be inaugurated, and in Austin, a Legislature will be convened.

Under one scenario, Abbott and Texas lawmakers are going to feel compelled not only to keep Operation Lone Star flush with cash but to take Banks' cue and extend its reach even farther. The other scenario might have the governor and the Legislature thinking that a possibly new federal administration is going to inherit the border just how the old one left it and that Texas has got to give the incoming president's team all the help it needs until it gets itself up to speed.

And all that suggests that the answer to Birdwell's "how long" question is: probably for quite a bit longer.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Is Texas' Operation Lone Star another example of a program once started, never ends?

Stanford Tops No. 2 Texas in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas – The Stanford softball team went 2-0 today at day two of the Lone Star State Invitational, topping Louisiana 8-0 and the hosting No. 2 Texas Longhorns 4-3 in eight innings. The wins move the Card to 9-4 on the season, and come just a week after the Card defeated then-No. 2 Tennessee at the Clearwater Invitational.   Sophomore pitcher NiJaree Canady was sensational in the win over Texas, allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out 11.   For the fourth-straight game, the Cardinal struck first. After an error in the outfield, sophomore Taryn Kern was able to cross home and give Stanford the 1-0 lead, with sophomore River Mahler making it to third base on the play. In the next at bat, Mahler slid around a tag at the plate to steal home and make it a 2-0 lead.   Texas answered with a run in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1, scoring on an error.   In the third, Stanford extended the lead with an RBI double by senior Caelan Koch to make it 3-1. Texas answered again, hitting a two-run homer to even the game at 3-3.   Canady settled in after the third, throwing four shutout innings to send the game to the eighth inning tied 3-3.   In the top of the eighth, Mahler scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly thanks to her second acrobatic slide at home plate of the night.   Canady struck out two in the eighth to cap the win.   Prior to the matchup with the Longhorns, Stanford opened the day with a run-rule win over Louisiana. The Card opened the scoring early, scoring in the bottom of the second after sophomore Emily Jones reached third on an error. Freshman Jade Berry drove her in with an RBI sacrifice fly, giving the Cardinal the early 1-0 lead for the third-straight game.   Stanford added runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, thanks to RBI doubles from Jones and junior Allie Clements , respectively. After the fifth inning, Stanford led 4-0.   Stanford scored four times in the sixth inning to walk off the game, starting with freshman Ava Gall hitting a solo shot to open the inning and make it 5-0. Sophomore Kyra Chan singled in another run to make it 6-0, before Mahler stepped into the box. With three on base, Mahler blasted a double to score two and walk off the game.   Senior Regan Krause earned the win, her fourth of the season, behind six shutout innings with just five hits allowed.        Kern's three walks on the day marked her eighth and ninth-straight games with a walk drawn. The sophomore has now reached base safely in each of the Card's first 13 games to start the season.   Stanford is back tomorrow with the team's final game of the Lone Star State Invitational against Colorado State. First pitch is set for 8:00 a.m. PT, and can be streamed on Longhorn Network.  

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Texas Longhorns Open As Favorites In Majority of Biggest Matchups

Evan vieth | jun 16, 2024.

Circa Sports, a notable sportsbook, especially surrounding college football, has released its opening lines for the top games of the year. The Texas Longhorns are featured five times in the list of over 60 games from the entire college football season, one of the most recognized teams on the list.

Texas notably begins the season with a bang, as in week two the Longhorns travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to play the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines . The game is one of the first five notable matchups all season, according to Circa, and opens with Texas favored by five points.

In general, teams with the home-field advantage are expected to be favored by around three points if both teams are evenly matched. In that case, Circa places a lot of value on the Longhorns. If the two teams played on a neutral field to start the season, it's likely the Longhorns would be over a touchdown favorite, but you can never underestimate the problems a crowd like The Big House can create.

Heading into the middle of the year Texas faces two extremely tough matchups. Starting in October, Texas will play Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and host Georgia, a tough duo of teams to play in such short time periods. Texas is an eight-point favorite against the Sooners, but are two-point underdogs against Georgia. The October 19 matchup against the Bulldogs is projected to be the closest game all year for Texas, with just two points favoring the high-powered Kirby Smart-led team.

Circa also notes the Florida matchup as one of the best games all year but has Texas as a near-three-touchdown favorite with a -18 line for Texas. Florida plays arguably the hardest schedule all year, and with many question marks surrounding the head coach and quarterback positions, it's hard to expect the Gators to upset the Longhorns in Austin.

Lastly, the Longhorns will be playing in College Station to end the year, facing former rivals Texas A&M in the reinstallment of the Lone Star Showdown. Texas is a five-point-favorite yet again on the road, with the Aggies looking to be one of the tougher matchups for Texas all season. 

Texas will play in some of the most entertaining college football games all year, and head coach Steve Sarkisian will have his hands full against the likes of Georgia and Michigan, two teams Texas hasn’t seen much of in its illustrious history. Sportsbooks are showing belief in the Longhorns, and based on this list they are favored to win all but one game all year. 

Can Texas reach that 11-1 record and the SEC Championship, or will it falter in its first year in the conference? Only time will tell.

Texas Senate panel asks officials about Operation Lone Star: 'How long can we do this?'

Texas has invested $11 billion since 2021 in Operation Lone Star to help stem the tide of migrant arrivals to the state's southern border with Mexico, but the leading Republican in the state Senate Committee on Border Security is questioning how much longer will Texans be asked to front the cost for the operation.

"How long can we do this?" Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, who has chaired the Border Security Committee since its inception in 2023, asked officials tasked with the day-to-day oversight of the border initiative during a committee hearing Tuesday. "Because the day will come when the comptroller is going to tell us there's a (budget) shortfall; that means some tough decisions here."

Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star has funded construction of roughly 100 miles of unconnected portions of border wall, installed razor wire along parts of the Texas shore of the Rio Grande and placed a buoy barrier in a section of the river, and in April began construction on a military base camp in Eagle Pass , which is expected to house about 1,800 Texas National Guard troops and could cost upward of $400 million by September 2026.

Birdwell implored Operation Lone Star leaders to detail their outlook on the continued need for a constant state law enforcement presence along the border, alluding to fears that a Democratic victory for the U.S. presidency in November will necessitate further state border security investments.

"Where do you make the reductions?" Birdwell asked. "That day is going to come."

In touting the construction of the new military operating base , efficient law enforcement operations along the border and high morale among troops on the ground, Abbott's "border czar" Mike Banks and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw shared Birdwell's political concerns, but they simply said the operation will have to continue for the foreseeable future.

"As we continue to gain operational control of our border with Mexico, we will maintain that control as we expand to control new areas," Banks said.

As for President Joe Biden's recent executive order to allow border officials to turn away migrants who enter the country without legal permission , McCraw said the order's effect has been negligible and is expected to remain minimal in keeping migrant arrivals at bay.

"I wish that it would have some impact, but at the end of the day, it has little or no impact," McCraw said. "The numbers haven't changed in that regard."

'We deserve respect, and we demand respect'

During the wide-ranging committee hearing, in which law enforcement officials and state agency leaders highlighted Operation Lone Star's effect on discouraging illegal border crossings and influencing immigration patterns, residents from several border communities painted the situation on the ground as an unwelcome, militarized invasion of their homes.

Samantha Singleton, a policy director with the Border Network for Human Rights, accused lawmakers of draining state resources to construct the border apparatus from Brownsville to El Paso while ignoring the humanitarian concerns that drive migrants to Texas.

"The decision of this legislative body, as well as Gov. Abbott, has disrupted the lives of thousands of border residents," Singleton said of Operation Lone Star.

More: 26 migrants found, 7 arrested in human smuggling operation near San Antonio

In the first of two interim hearings for the committee, lawmakers took no deliberative action Tuesday but received updates on various border-related legal proceedings, which were prompted by Texas placing concertina wire along the Rio Grande, defensive buoys in the river and instituting Senate Bill 4 — Texas' sweeping immigration law granting state officers authority to arrest, detain and deport people who are believed to have entered the country illegally, an enforcement authority that has historically been under the federal government's purview.

Aaron Nielson, solicitor general in the Texas attorney general's office, testified that both the buoys and concertina wire remain in place as federal lawsuits against the state challenging those border enforcement measures await further adjudication. 

As for SB 4, Nielson predicts a lengthy legal battle ahead. The law is currently on hold after the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in February issued an injunction , keeping SB 4 from taking effect while constitutional challenges are adjudicated. The state immediately filed an appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the New Orleans-based appellate court in April heard oral arguments over the injunction , but it has not yet issued a ruling.

"We expect a ruling in the coming months on that, but that is again just on the preliminary injunction phase," Nielson said "But that could itself also go to the Supreme Court before there's any merit trial."

Regardless of the outcomes in federal court, residents who live along the border explained to the panel that the increase in military presence, loss of access to local public spaces, permanent road closures and hyperpartisan rhetoric is making it more difficult to feel comfortable in their changed communities.

A longtime resident of Eagle Pass, Jessie Fuentes, said the state has shown local residents no respect in becoming new neighbors.

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Voicing similar concerns over the prolonged financial obligation of Operation Lone Star, Fuentes and others blasted lawmakers for commandeering highly used public spaces such as Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, which was taken by the state earlier this year to serve as a makeshift base in the border city .

"We as Hispanics, we deserve respect, and we demand respect," Fuentes said. "The way the people with brown skin are being treated is appalling."