El Paso County District Clerk Wants To Resume Passport Duties

Two weeks ago, District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez discontinued passport services — the county’s biggest money maker — at his office Downtown.

Sanchez said he was — as he put it — too tired to fight commissioners for resources. But on Monday, Sanchez — who has less than six months left on his term — asked commissioners to let him resume issuing passports.

“Now you’re saying you want to start it up again?” Commissioner Veronica Escobar asked Sanchez at Monday’s Commissioner’s Court meeting. “What assurances does the public have you won’t shut it down again?”

Commissioner Anna Perez added, “If you get angry with us again, you’re gonna pull the plug is what I’m understanding.”

Sanchez said all he wants is one of his employees, who he let go last week, reinstated. That would give him what he says he needs to resume passport duties.

“The public has constantly been calling in to reopen the passports because there is a need for it,” Sanchez said.

Courthouse security said that they get asked 10 to 15 times a day where people can get their passports.

“Commissioner Escobar came to me asking if I could do it,” said County Clerk Delia Briones, who is willing to take it over. She added that Sanchez’ decision to stop doing passports “was a bad move.”

Escobar said the revenue lost by the county over the past couple of weeks is unfortunate, and she doesn’t want to lose anymore.

“It’s about $7,500 every couple of weeks or so,” she said. “It’s thousands of dollars weekly.”

And that left lots of animosity toward Sanchez at Monday’s meeting.

“I hope one day we can operate the county government without backroom discussions, handshakes, don’t worry I’ll make assurances your feelings won’t be hurt again,” Commissioner Anna Perez told Sanchez. “That is not professional.”

Commissioners delayed the decision on whether to let Sanchez and the District Clerk’s office have passport duties back, or move them to the County Clerk, until next Monday’s meeting.