El Paso County Declares Disaster Amid Migrant Arrest Surge
- El Paso County leaders have declared a disaster to address financial burdens caused by increased migrant arrests.
- They are calling on the state of Texas to provide funding to alleviate the costs incurred.
- This move reflects heightened tensions and challenges at the state's border with Mexico.
El Paso County officials have declared a disaster in response to a significant increase in migrant arrests, which they claim has cost the county millions. County Judge Ricardo Samaniego signed the declaration this week, marking the first such action in over two years. This declaration allows the county to apply for up to $5 million in grants associated with Operation Lone Star, Texas's extensive border security initiative. The operation has led to over 516,300 migrant apprehensions and more than 45,300 criminal arrests along the Texas-Mexico border. County officials have expressed concerns about the financial strain caused by the influx of detainees. The U.S. Marshals Service typically reimburses the county for medical expenses related to federal inmates, but this has not been the case for those detained under Operation Lone Star. With nearly 70% of the county's $601.4 million budget allocated to public safety and jail operations, the financial burden is becoming increasingly unsustainable, especially as the county faces a projected $35 million budget shortfall. Currently, the El Paso County Jail is housing 322 state detainees from Operation Lone Star, while only 106 beds are occupied by federal inmates. Discussions are ongoing between the district attorney's office and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the potential transfer of Operation Lone Star detainees to a state facility. Despite the disaster declaration, County Commissioner David Stout emphasized that there is no actual crisis at the border, suggesting that the county is being used as a political tool in the ongoing border security debate.