(Texas Scorecard) – El Paso County is asking the State of Texas for millions in financial assistance to cover jailing costs for those arrested under Operation Lone Star.
County commissioners unanimously authorized El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego to send a grant application to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office asking for the state to cover the medical, detainee processing, and judicial proceedings of alleged criminals apprehended as part of Texas’ border security efforts.
If approved, El Paso County would receive reimbursements from Texas totaling up to $5 million—simultaneously covering costs the county incurred and allowing county facilities to continue housing inmates.
Operation Lone Star is Abbott’s initiative to detect and repel illegal alien crossings, apprehend human smugglers and cartel members, and block the trafficking of lethal drugs such as fentanyl.
Samaniego told ABC-7 in an interview that the number of spaces for federal inmates has dropped from 800 to 58 in this year alone.
“And it’s not only the loss of the revenue that’s hurting us,” he said. “It’s also the fact that when it’s a federal inmate, everything is covered from mental health, they have to go to UMC. All of those charges are charged to the federal government. Now that they’re state, we take care of the entire cost of an inmate.”
According to ABC-7, the county has lost approximately $10 million in federal revenue due to lack of space, and $18 million in expenses is expected to be incurred by the end of this year. “We won’t be able to get reimbursed for the loss of federal money,” Samaniego said. “We’re only going to be reimbursed by the cost of maintaining a state prisoner, maintaining all the health and mental health, and all the court costs and everything.”
Additionally, commissioners permitted Samaniego to petition that criminals arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety be transferred to a state jail rather than being detained in the county jail.
“In order to apply for that we need to submit an emergency declaration,” Samaniego explained. “But I really want the community to understand we have been hesitant because we wanted it to be limited – not to have more DPS agents here but to focus on the fact that it has been a huge impact on the community, on the county.”
Texas Scorecard contacted Gov. Abbott’s office regarding El Paso’s request for financial assistance but did not receive a response at the time of publishing.