EAGLE PASS, Texas — The Maverick County Sheriff's Office sometimes has just five deputies – or fewer – in the field at a time. Sheriff Tom Schmerber said their deputies work hard to cover community issues, but lately they've been asked to assist Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
He's happy to help out, Schmerber says. But it's becoming a problem.
Schmerber said CBP has been asking them to provide security for immigrant transports from Eagle Pass to Laredo, which typically means taking at least two deputies out of the mix. When there is a flood of migrants across the border, that adds up.
"It takes away officers from the security of the county," Schmerber said Wednesday. "It happened every day last week."
Now, with another migrant caravan headed towards the border, the sheriff is getting concerned. Estimates put the caravan at between 8,000 and 10,000 people.
Schmerber said if there are multiple busses headed to Lorado, CBP could even ask for multiple teams.
"We have to do that, plus we are also working the smuggling cases. We work the highways and we catch a lot of smugglers. We can't afford to be working the river," Schmerber said.
The sheriff said they would like more help from the federal government but they haven't had any contact with the Department of Homeland Security for the last six months or more. He said they need more people and equipment if they are going to continue to assist.
"I wish we could have some communication to let them know that we need resources and manpower, equipment," Schmerber said.
KENS 5 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday to ask about the counties need for resources. We have not heard back.
At the same time, U.S. Congress may not be able to fund any additional resources until lawmakers agree on a budget. Congress has yet to pass a budget for 2024 and is currently funding the government with continuing resolutions. The current two resolutions will expire on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 of next year and Congress will not be back in session until the second week of January.
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