- Duval County Sheriff's Department received the Operation Stonegarden check of $200,000.
- Congressman Henry Cuellar presented Sheriff Romeo Ramirez and his deputies with the check.
- The monies will be used to combat the immigration issues the county faces.
The Duval County Sheriff's office received an Operation Stonegarden grant on Thursday. With a county two hours away from the border, Sheriff Romeo Ramirez and his deputies are plagued with bailouts and pursuits throughout the year.
Duval County spans nearly 2,000 square miles is made up of mostly brush, so having only 10 deputies on patrol can be a challenge for the department when combating human trafficking.
Sheriff Romeo Ramirez estimated that his deputies average between eight and 12 human trafficking pursuits a week.
“We are a very large county – very limited with our patrol resources. That’s why we are thankful for the funding that we receive because this will allow us to the office duty-officers on duty to do that overtime,” Sheriff Ramirez said.
The number of human trafficking pursuits in the county has forced Sheriff Ramirez to keep deputies on the street and their vehicles in good working condition.
He said he’s grateful for the funds from FEMA’s Operation Stonegarden which lessens the financial burden on taxpayers.
“This funding – that’ll enable our department to work in conjunction with the U.S. Border Patrol. It’ll allow us to put more officers on the street to try to cartel the human trafficking problem that we have here in Duval County,” Sherrif Ramirez said.
Congressman Henry Cuellar presented Sheriff Ramirez and his deputies with the grant check that will help law enforcement enhance security for the county and the southern border.
Since 2018, Congressman Cuellar has presented Duval County with over a million dollars through the operation.
Ramirez said with such a large rural community he believes the more assistance – the safer the community can be.
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