Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Several members of Val Verde County Commissioners Court on Tuesday vented their frustration at the actions – and inactions – of the federal and state governments in addressing the ongoing immigrant crisis.
Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. began the discussion by informing court members that between July 30 and Aug. 2, 986 migrants left Val Verde County after being processed through the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition processing center on Las Vacas Street.
Owens said he has received phone calls and seen comments concerning the Border Patrol’s handling of immigrants crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Val Verde County and praised the work being done by the agency.
The judge added that in recent days so many migrants have crossed the border that some were being detained at the border fence off Frontera Lane because the Border Patrol simply had too many persons to process at their local facility.
Owens said he toured the Border Patrol station last week and said agents and immigrants are packed into the facility and noted at least 20 agents have contracted COVID-19.
“If you saw the conditions that our Border Patrol agents have to work in – and I’m not blaming the chief of the Border Patrol here, I’m not blaming Deputy Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz or anyone in the Border Patrol – it’s just not acceptable,” Owens said.
“I was told that they’re not testing for COVID, because at the point that they have a positive, what are they going to do with them, because their facilities are all full,” he added.
“It’s a shame that we’re having to deal with this because this should not be our problem. We keep being asked, what would we do? We could come up with some decisions, but they wouldn’t matter because we’re not the ones steering the boat. We’re not ones in charge,” Owens said.
The county judge said anyone crossing the border should immediately be fingerprinted, photographed and returned to Mexico. Anyone caught crossing again, he added, should not be allowed into the U.S. for years.
“If this administration wants to let people in and that is their goal, let’s do it legally. Let’s set up a place where they can come across the bridge, and you’re going to do whatever the Border Patrol can process, 100, 200, whatever that number is, and you process them. Then if this administration wants to turn them loose, let’s do it, but let’s do it in a more orderly manner than what we’re having to deal with today,” he said.
Owens said he doesn’t want immigrants hurt in any way, adding he understands “they’re looking for a better life,” but noted it’s unacceptable for immigrants to walk into local establishments to charge their personal cell phones and make it difficult to conduct routine business.
Owens said he also would not vote in favor of constructing any type of “tent city” to house immigrants in Val Verde County.
“It’s the federal government’s problem, and they’ve just thrown it in our lap, and I will not vote to put up any type of tent, and I’m going to go ahead and say it, to help these individuals find a place to stay. It is not our problem,” Owens said.
The judge said the financial cost of the situation is mounting as well.
“We were just handed a deal from (the sheriff’s office). We’ve got $192,330 that we’ve lost so far out at the jail, and promises of being reimbursed. . . Again, this situation is not our problem. . . This is getting old, because nobody is listening and it’s costing us a lot of money,” Owens said.
County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton also had a few words to say about the border crisis.
“I agree with you, Judge. This thing has gotten completely out of control. . .Nobody’s policies are working right now, on any level,” Nettleton said, adding he believes the entire situation is “jeopardizing our border communities.”
“You talk about $192,000. That’s just our jail costs. That doesn’t include the sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s office and everybody else that’s involved in this. This number is probably a whole lot higher, probably closer to $400,000 or $500,000 that we’re into this,” Nettleton said.
“At the end of the day, the federal government could care less, and I appreciate what the governor’s doing, but this (latest) order is dangerous to our community. We have people walking up and down our streets. They’re not being tested for COVID. We have our agents and their families in jeopardy, and it’s costing local taxpayers a lot, and it is inexcusable,” he added.
Nettleton said his sole objective is protecting the community and moving migrants out of the county as quickly as possible.
“I’ve been quiet about this for a while, but it’s enough. This is enough. I know our community is upset, and they want us to do something, and the judge is right; there’s nothing we can do. If we could, we would do it tomorrow,” Nettleton said.
“Somebody has to start listening to what our needs are and deal with the people down here. The president, the vice president, all of those of those people up there need to come down to Del Rio on this border and see for themselves. Walk into these stores. Put their own lives at risk, so they understand. There is no excuse for this, and I don’t see an end to this.
“I’m with the judge on this. We were promised reimbursement. We’re being promised this and that. We haven’t gotten anything. We’re still in the same mess that we’ve been in, and it’s just getting worse, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better. I don’t know the solution to this, and everybody is just completely and utterly frustrated, and somebody has to start listening, but I don’t guess they’re ever going to,” the commissioner said.
“It seems like it’s a never-ending problem. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger every day, and we’re being corralled, penned up, because we really can’t do much to solve the issue and I know the state has gotten involved in this and they’re helping as much as they can, but the feds are just completely staying out. They’re not helping,” County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores added.
“This is really frustrating, folks. If we were able to make a decision here, make a decision that could be enforced, we would make it. I think we could sort of solve our problem here, but whatever decisions we make, we couldn’t enforce. That’s where we’re at right now,” Owens said.
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