El Paso County Judge issues disaster declaration over rise in state inmate population
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- On Monday, the County of El Paso approved an item that authorized El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego to seek reimbursement for state inmates detained through Operation Lone Star.
The County could receive up to $5 million, which will reimburse the $3 million the County has spent housing state inmates. The rest will fund operations through the end of the year, officials say.
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego told ABC-7 the county has gone from having nearly 800 open spaces for federal inmates to only 58 this year.
This year, the county has lost about $10 million in federal revenue because it has fewer beds for federal inmates. County leaders expect to lose $18 million by the end of this year.
"We won't be able to get reimbursed for the loss of federal money," County Judge Samaniego added. "We'll only be reimbursed by the cost of maintaining a state prisoner, maintaining all the health and mental health, and all the court costs and everything."
The only way for the County to have additional capacity for state and federal inmates is for Texas to open up a state facility. Now, the Rogelio Sanchez state facility by the County Jail Annex is being considered as an additional space for inmates.
According to Judge Samaniego, District Attorney Bill Hicks is currently negotiating with the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to open this facility.
ABC-7 reached out to the office of D.A. Hicks to learn more details but has not heard back yet.
"I've stayed away from any disaster declaration," County Judge Samaniego explained. "As you know, I've always avoided that because there were some other implications. Still, because of the impact on our community, we are restricting it to just the cost of having somebody to our jails that's going from a federal charge to a state charge."
In a statement, the El Paso County said:
"The impact of these OLS arrests has burdened jail and court operations and has created significant costs. Additionally, the County’s revenue has reduced substantially ($18.5 million less to be seen in FY25 when compared to FY22 revenue numbers), due to the County’s inability to provide jail beds to the federal government, through a contract which currently exists to house federal detainees. Most recent numbers indicate the County is housing approximately 300 OLS detainees each day in our local jails. By law, the County Sheriff must accept all inmates with state charges."
The signed Declaration of Disaster can viewed here.
