El Paso preparing to sue Trump campaign for $500,000 owed from rally

EL PASO, Texas -- The City of El Paso is preparing to sue President Donald Trump's campaign for more than a half-million dollars it owes from a “Make America Great Again” rally that Trump hosted last year in the Sun City.

The move comes as the city is facing an estimated budget shortfall of $26 million this fiscal year, and up to $100 million next year, due to the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

A frustrated Mayor Dee Margo indicated Tuesday evening that a City Council vote to sue the Trump campaign for the unpaid bill would likely come soon. The city has been trying to collect for months to no avail - most recently invoicing the campaign in February, which was one year after the event took place.

"If we need to file suit (to collect), we need to progress that way," Margo said in response to a question during a news conference about the city's coronavirus efforts.

The bulk of the $569,204 owed to the city is for El Paso police providing security around Trump's event at the El Paso County Coliseum, along with protection from the fire department.

City leaders have said the Trump campaign's repeated failure to pay results in money being used to cover those costs from the city’s contingency budget -- funds used for unexpected and emergency situations, such as natural disasters or the Covid-19 crisis.

ABC-7 first reported the city sending the Trump campaign an invoice for the February 2019 rally last year.

El Paso isn't the only city that says it's owed money for Trump campaign rallies.

A report published last week by the The Center for Public Integrity found that Trump's team owes a total of $1.82 million to 14 communities for public safety-related costs incurred during the president's "Make America Great Again" events.

The Trump campaign has suggested it's not responsible for paying those bills because the U.S. Secret Service provides presidential security.