Kinney County Votes for Mercenaries

Letter of Intent Issued

Kinney County Commissioners voted in executive session to go ahead and issue a letter of intent, clearing the way for things to proceed with Garrison Trading Associates, a Private Military Company, offering to crowd fund security operations along the border in the county.

What makes the proposal unique, when compared to volunteer militia operations in parts of Arizona, is that Garrison Trading would be licensed with the State of Texas as Class III private security, with the authority to arrest people committing crimes in front of them.

It's not clear how quickly things could move forward from here.  Garrison Trading says if everything works out, they plan to start small by placing their employees with County Deputies, so that they're able to learn the community.

"We obviously have a great need," said Commissioner Tim Ward, talking about the border crisis in general.  "The last 6 or 7 months of being overrun, [we] don't want to fail to address the issue, residents are concerned about safety."

Between Covid and the border crisis, many county resources are being stretched thin.  County Sheriff Brad Coe is spending enough in overtime for jailers and dispatchers that it appears the county would save money by hiring another.  Current staffers are commonly working double and triple shifts.

This comes as the county's lawsuit moves forward in federal court in Galveston.  This week came news that Galveston County is joining the lawsuit.  This is good news for Kinney County and multiple other border counties filing it.  The Federal Government is trying to move the trial to the Western District, but Galveston County's participation may help keep it in Galveston. 

The courts there are regarded as being more conservative.  The suit aims to overturn certain orders issued by the White House to the U.S. Border Patrol, that some say has helped cause the crisis.