Steps taken in Hidalgo County and along the river are helping up north

POSTED: 08:52 PM CDT Mar 16, 2015

BROOKS COUNTY -

The flow of illegal immigrants appears to be slowing down in Brooks County. The county was a busy pathway for illegal immigrants making their way north. People said stepped up law enforcement in Hidalgo County is having a huge impact in Brooks County.

Dr. Michael Vickers owns a large ranch in Brooks County. He loves spending time on his property.

His ranch sits on 1,000 acres near Falfurrias. The property is often used by illegal immigrants heading north. Vickers said he is seeing fewer people cutting through.

"The traffic is down substantially, uh, which is great. You know, we almost don't know how to live when it's quiet like this," said, Vickers.

Brooks County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Benny Martinez said, "It's been quiet, in a sense. You know? You can sit down and relax a little bit once in a while."

He said his deputies are dealing with fewer pursuits and bailouts. Both were a common occurrence at the height of the most recent border surge.

Martinez said they have also seen a decline in 911 calls.

He credits the Border Patrol for the slowdown and what is taking place in Hidalgo County.

"The DPS presence down there on the river is a distraction for them coming across the river," said Vickers.

"Anything that occurs down there is going to help us, you know. We're 70 miles north so it will definitely help us," said Martinez.

Foot traffic may be slower, but Martinez said they are not letting their guard down.

Vickers is also gearing up for illegal immigrants to return to the paths on his ranch.

The drop in traffic is allowing the Brooks County Sheriff’s Department to focus on other crimes. Martinez said they have been able to break up some of the gang activity in and around Falfurrias.

Brooks County deputies are also spending more time recovering bodies from the brush.

So far this year, deputies have located the remains of 20 people. Martinez believes the remains are of people who went missing in the brush last year. A total of 61 bodies were recovered in Brooks County last year. That is down from the 87 from 2013. In 2012, deputies recovered the remains of 129 people from the brush of Brooks County.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...affic/31835522