Amid uncertainty of Trump administration changes, El Paso mayor, police chief offer assurances of safety of community regardless of immigration policy
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- With a record number of executive orders signed day one of the new White House administration by President Donald Trump, and more immigration policy changes that came in the days that followed, local leaders in El Paso are scrambling to keep up.
On Wednesday, El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson and Chief of the El Paso Police Department Peter Pacillas spoke about what was known so far, and what the city is preparing for.
"Let me first start by saying that El Paso is a very safe community," Mayor Johnson said in a news conference Wednesday morning. "And it has been business as usual for us in this community for the last few days. There has been a number of executive orders that have come out that we're still trying to to, to process and get an understanding of. And I want El Pasoans to know this, that you can live in peace in our community. You can go to the schools. You can go to the churches, and you're going to be okay."
With swirling questions about immigration enforcement, potential federal investigations into those that don't comply, and what comes next, the mayor said that what they know now is that the city doesn't have the resources to enforce federal immigration law.
"I've reached out and I've spoken to the director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection," Johnson said. "I've spoken to Border Patrol, and as of now, we're in a wait and see mode. We're still gathering information because the executive orders are coming out so fast that we're still processing in our city."
Chief Pacillas said that the focus of the El Paso Police Department will be on enforcing local laws as it usually does.
"We work together to determine who is the best entity to enforce the law and get the best prosecution," Pacillas said, referring to state and national law enforcement partners. "The El Paso Police Department does not enforce immigration laws."
Chief Pacillas added that the city and police department do not yet know how federal authorities will be handling these new immigration policies or how officers will be reacting or responding yet.
