EL PASO, Tx., April 30, 2026: Nine days ago, a letter signed by 14 Texas county judges was delivered to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. Among the county judges along the border that signed the letter included El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego. The April 21 letter asks Mullin to allow the people who live and work in the communities along the border to “have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape” their daily lives.
On March 13th, Mullin was appointed by the Trump administration to replace Kristi Noem who was removed as Homeland Security Secretary after several controversies surrounded her, including the death of two U.S. citizens shot by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier in the year. Seeking to restore the public’s confidence in the agency he oversees, Mullin has shifted his agency’s immigration enforcement actions towards “a less visible” one after the public’s reaction to the two dead U.S. citizens after ICE agents shot them. Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents during unrest over immigration policies in Minneapolis.
As the result of the deaths, over 65% of Americans say that ICE has “gone too far” with its immigration enforcement tactics, according to a poll released in February. Of the people polled, 12% felt ICE was not doing enough and another 22% felt immigration enforcement was “about right.” Good and Pretti were shot by ICE agents in January.
The Letter
The letter by the border county judges to Mullin states that it is signed by all the Texas county judges along the U.S.-México border. The county judges state in the letter that they wrote the letter “with respect and good will, and a sincere desire to serve as partners in securing our shared border.”
The county judges add in the letter that their purpose “in writing is not to oppose or obstruct, but to help ensure that the people who live, work, ranch, and raise families along this border continue to have a meaningful voice in decisions that shape our daily lives.” The letter signers wrote that they “support efforts to strengthen border security,” but they add that they “carry an obligation to speak honestly” about how their constituents feel.
They argue in the letter that the terrain along the nearly 1,300 miles of the border varies and what “works well in one setting may require adjustment in another.” The elected officials reference the decision to close the airspace around El Paso in February in the letter as an example of how “early coordination” can help their communities.
The letter asks that Mullin keep “consistent communications” between DHS and them, coordinate early with landowners along the border where border security devices are to be installed or updated and to ensure that the agency offers accommodations for agriculture, environmental resources, land and water.
“We believe that strong border security and the long-term well-being of border communities” depends on “local input” from “local partners,” the letter states. The letter ends with “we write without partisan intent and with a shared commitment to practical, durable solutions,” adding that the county judges “stand ready to assist and welcome continued dialogue” with Mullin.
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