Times Record News
WASHINGTON — Wichita County Sheriff David Duke is opposed to the coming shutdown of six interior U.S. Border Patrol stations in Texas, saying resources for immigration law enforcement are already too scarce in North Texas.
The nearest Border Patrol Station, staffed by a handful of agents, is in Dallas, and it’s closing in six months, leaving local law enforcement authorities with even fewer options for federal assistance.
“We can barely get anything done at this point,” Duke said.
“We still run across illegals that are here, carloads of them or vanloads of them, andwe don’t have any recourse.”
What does the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office end up doing with these carloads and vanloads if a felony crime such as homicide isn’t involved?
“Let them go,” Duke said.
The Sheriff’s Office could fill up the limited space in the Wichita County Jail “in a heartbeat” with undocumented immigrants, he said.
He puts the responsibility for the flow of illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants across the U.S.-Mexican border at the feet of the federal government, which is charged with enforcing immigration laws.
“It is frustrating,” he said. “The government’s supposed to protect the borders and our people. I think the federal government is failing miserably in that by not beefing up security on the border.”
Beefing up border security is exactly what Border Patrol officials said is behind a decision to shutter stations in Abilene, Dallas, San Angelo, San Antonio, Lubbock and Amarillo. The agency will transfer agents from those posts to focus manpower on borders.
But Duke and other local law enforcement officials in affected areas are critical of the shuffling of resources.
“Shutting down any more Border Patrol offices throughout Texas is actually going to be detrimental to Texas,” he said.
“I don’t understand the reasoning why they’re shutting them down. They’re sparsely spread through Texas as it is.”
The Border Patrol is withdrawing 41 agents and seven support workers from the six deactivating interior stations in Texas and one interior station each in Montana, Idaho and California. The shutdowns will save an estimated $1.3 million annually.
The Border Patrol had a total of 21,44 agents on staf f and a n a pproximately $3.6 billion budget for fiscal 2011.
Local law-enforcement officials are wondering how to fill the gap in immigration enforcement anticipated with the withdrawal of the Border Patrol agents.
Border Patrol spokesman Bill Brooks said the absence of agents might preclude a response from the Border Patrol in areas in which stations are shutting down.
“We’ll do what we can,” Brooks said.
In a July 2 memo on the station shutdowns, Border Patrol Chief Michael J. Fisher said that although the Border Patrol agents won’t be present, his agency “maintains partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement agencies to periodically reassess threats and respond accordingly.”
The Wichita County Sheriff’s Office calls on ICE in felony cases, and ICE agents will pick up the suspects, Duke said.
ICE and the Border Patrol are separate entities within the Department of Homeland Security with somewhat different focuses.
ICE agents aren’t affected by the Border Patrol decision, and they will remain in Dallas and the other Texas cities losing Border Patrol stations, ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok said.
Rusnok declined to disclose the number of ICE agents based at those offices, citing operational security.
He said ICE routinely responds to requests from local law enforcement authorities regarding issues within the agency’s area of responsibilities.
ICE targets illegal aliens involved in serious crimes such as homicide, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and crimes threatening national security, Rusnok said. ICE also targets illegal immigrants who game the system.
In areas losing agents, the Border Patrol’s withdrawal puts a special twist on a recent Supreme Court ruling.
In late June, a Supreme Court decision on a controversial Arizona immigration law upheld certain powers for state and local authorities.
The court left in place a provision for Arizona state and local officers to check the immigration status of anyone stopped, detained or arrested in connection with other violations if officers suspect the person is in the country illegally.
“If they’re illegal, then what are we going to do with them?” San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez said.
North Texas congressmen also are raising questions about immigration enforcement in light of the Border Patrol’s withdrawal from stations in their districts.
“It is our understanding that your agency has not coordinated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to develop an active plan to assist local law enforcement authorities after the closures,” said a letter to Fisher penned by Wichita Falls Rep. Mac Thornberry and signed by Rep. Randy Neugebauer, who represents Young County and part of Archer County.
The letter dated Tuesday asks the Border Patrol to reconsider the shutdowns of stations in their districts — or at least delay until the agency presents a plan to assist local officials i n d ealing w ith immigration violations.
Copyright 2012 Wichita Falls Times Record News