El Paso, TX: El Paso County is shouldering the burden of what ought to be a responsibility of the federal government, according to the judge of El Paso County.
After some migrants attacked Texas National Guardsmen during a border breach on May 21, the court referred to the migrants who were processed by state officials and put into county jails on state charges rather than federal charges. This occurred after the migrants had attacked officers from the Texas National Guard.
Ricardo Samaniego, the county judge, stated that 39 migrants who are now being held in El Paso County jails who are facing state charges for their involvement in the border breach are still being held there.
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Even though this figure is not very big, Judge Samaniego stated that it affects the operations and budget of the county because the state does not reimburse the county for accommodating those migrants.
Additionally, he stated that although the group of 39 is a manageable amount, the county is concerned about the impact that it will have on them if the number of migrants who are booked into county jails on state offenses continues to keep growing.
Samaniego stated that the issue at hand is not what has occurred, but rather what may occur in the future.
Judge Samaniego said that the most significant impact is the loss of compensation from the federal government that occurs when detainees who are facing charges from the state take up beds that are designated for federal inmates.
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“The federal beds, we get approximately $110 per inmate, per day, and that number has been reduced, and we’ve probably lost probably like $3 million already in this year,” the spokesperson said.
He stated that county officials are seeking to relocate migrants who are facing state charges to facilities that are controlled by the state, such as the Rogelio Sanchez prison, which is a state facility.