Actores, agendas de seguridad e iniciativas

Hidalgo County is located in the southwestern corner of New Mexico. Bordered by Grant County to the east and north, Cochise County, Arizona to the west, and Mexico to the east and south, the county shares its entire south- ern border and more than a third of its eastern border with Mexico. The one major highway through the county is Interstate-10, traversing east to west through the county seat of Lordsburg. Historically, Hidalgo County has been a center of ranching, farming and mining interests, but mining, especially, has declined precipitously in recent years, beginning with the closure of Phelps-Dodge copper smelter in Playas. (In recent years, Playas has become a center for anti-terrorism training and thus a source of new revenue for Hidalgo County.) The county’s population, however, has declined 14.2 percent since 2000, to 5,087 in 2006.

The two incorporated areas in Hidalgo County are the city of Lordsburg, with a population of 2,921, and the village of Virden, population 106. Smaller unincorporated enclaves include Animas, Playas, Road Forks and Rodeo. The median household income of Hidalgo County was $22,451 in 2003 and the per capita income was $17,370, well below the state average of $35,091 and $24,995, respectively. Moreover, the per capita income had fallen by $5,000 since 1997 (28 percent). Twenty-seven percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level. Demographics indicate that 53.8 percent of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin and 43.6 percent is white. The Hidalgo County general fund in 2006 was $2,932,173.

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Hidalgo County shares 86 miles of border with Mexico, running along two sides of the county. Few residents live along the border, and there are no towns across the line in Mexico. The nearest Mexican town is Agua Prieta, south of Douglas, Arizona. Hidalgo County has one remote port of entry, at Antelope Wells in the “boot heel” part of the county; there were, however, no legal crossings. The Border Patrol, stationed in Lordsburg, apprehended 5,008 un- documented entrants in 2006.

As the border becomes more difficult to cross in Cochise County, people and drug smugglers have shifted east to the “boot heel” part of New Mexico, basically all of Hidalgo County’s border (i.e., the border is “wide open from Doug- las to Columbus”). Vast areas of sparsely-populated terrain, with one paved road, provide a corridor for entry and a chance of greater success than some of the more traditional crossing routes. As one county commissioner put it, “We are the last hole to put the finger in.” The area consists of both public lands and large private ranches, dotted with wells for livestock that serve as designated meeting places and drop-points in the smuggling trades. Drug cartels keep current on conditions for smuggling in Hidalgo County. They are aware, for example, that both population and bud- gets for the county have plummeted, weakening county law enforcement capabilities.

County officials explain that while there is not as much entrant violence in Hidalgo County as in Arizona border counties, they still experience undocumented immigrants robbing other undocumented immigrants, and “mules” that leave immigrants behind in the desert. Further, entrants have stolen a county road grader and truck, and are often high on alcohol or drugs. They are more aggressive, as they have radios and attempt to lure law enforcement to the border to shoot them. Rock throwing and fist fights with Border Patrol agents are common, though not so with sheriff deputies. (One female entrant carried an AK-47.) Indeed, remarks a county official, “Anything you can imagine, they do.” Entrants now are caught walking with foam rubber tied to the soles of their feet, for example, carrying marijuana in burlap sacks or trying to impersonate Mexican police. They cross without food and head to pre-arranged food stashes. Table NM4 shows Hidalgo County border statistics.

Table NM4: Hidalgo County Border Statistics

Population Square Miles Border Length Port of Entry Legal Crossings Apprehensions

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Workload impact and cost estimates were developed for the sheriff’s department and detention. A site visit was con- ducted in February 2007. The total cost to Hidalgo County’s general fund for providing services to undocumented immigrants was $450,132. The cost represents 16.3 percent of the total general fund and translates into $88.49 per county resident. Table NM5 shows these costs. While the population and the county general fund have declined since 1999, the cost of processing undocumented immigrants has remained steady since the costs were first documented in 1999 and the per capita impact has increased by 15 percent. Hidalgo County absorbs a dramatically disproportion- ate share of the border burden. General government services are about 28 percent of the general fund, the percentage used for indirect overhead.

Table NM5: Hidalgo County Costs by Department County Total: $450,132

Per Capita: $88.49

Sheriff Detention

$263,360 $186,772

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The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department provides patrol, detention, dispatch, and animal control. The department does not have investigators nor can it spare a deputy to assist with HIDTA in Deming. With a general fund budget of $823,000 (including detention), this small department requires 45 percent of the county’s general fund. About one- quarter of the department’s workload involves undocumented immigrants. For example, drug and people runners no longer pull over when pursued by agents, so local law enforcement must pursue them; the driver usually bails out if he is far enough ahead and abandons the vehicle. A favorite method of smuggling entails stuffing horse trailers with more drugs than horses or feed trucks with “molasses” (drugs). Table NM6 shows the impact on patrol and adminis- tration.

Table NM6: Hidalgo County Sheriff Impact

Budget Impact Direct Cost Gen Gov Total Cost

$823,000 25% $205,750 $57,610 $263,360

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The jail, operated by the sheriff’s department, registered an impact of 30 percent on its operations. The jail operates at full capacity every day and is unable to accept federal prisoners for extra revenue. In fact, Hidalgo County even sends county prisoners to Gallup at great cost. Six female prisoners are housed there for narcotics possession, check fraud, swindles, and batteries. “Female prisoners are much more aggressive [than they used to be]”, explains one deputy. The magistrate often must hold warrants because there is no bed available. Further, medical care for undocumented immigrant inmates is a drain on the jail’s meager budget: One is a diabetic, one has cancerous facial sores, and many have mental problems. Table NM7 portrays the impact on the jail.

Table NM7: Hidalgo County Detention Impact

Budget Impact Direct Cost Gen Gov Total Cost

The costs of law enforcement and criminal justice services | 57

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Hidalgo County spent over 16 percent of its general fund budget on providing services to criminal undocumented immigrants. While the total cost of $450,132 is one of the lowest among border counties, it translates into one of the highest per capita costs and the greatest portion of local taxpayer-funded services. The more difficult it becomes to cross illegally through Arizona, the more likely smugglers and entrants will choose Hidalgo County, for, as one county commissioner, remarked, “We’re the last hole to put the finger in.” How could one-half million dollars better serve the citizens of the county? Clearly and unanimously, county leaders would use it to help replace the county’s “pitiful jail.” Hidalgo County’s costs are lower than those estimated for fiscal year 1999 by $11,700. Nevertheless, residents have spent about $4.1 million altogether on law enforcement and criminal justice services over the years. Each resident has been taxed nearly $800, a large sum for residents with a per capita income of $17,000.