(NewsNation) — Despite a sharp decline in certain migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, cartels are still making moves, and human and drug smuggling are rampant in many border communities.
Terrell County and Kinney County are among the Texas counties being hit hard by smugglers. Now Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe is taking matters into his own hands to secure the border.
Earlier this month, Coe sent out a letter asking neighboring states and counties to assist along the border and within his county.
Constables from Galveston County have been helping in the fight under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lonestar and are now coming back out to Maverick and Kinney counties to help show the dangers these small communities are facing as the fentanyl crisis is wreaking havoc in the Gulf of Mexico.
Coe said he’s optimistic as he’s had some responses from other Texas counties and they are working on housing details and other logistics. But things are still very organized and migrants are still being moved. The cartels are still fully operational, which is why these small counties in Texas and Arizona continuously deal with human and drug smuggling.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security sources confirmed to NewsNation that more than 293,993 undocumented individuals have successfully evaded law enforcement since this fiscal year began on Oct. 1. That breaks down to more than 2,400 “gotaways” each day.