By Trish Choate
Posted October 6, 2012 at 5:51 a.m.
TimesRecordNews

WASHINGTON – A decision to shutter the U.S. Border Patrol station in Dallas, the closest one to Wichita Falls, probably won't go into action until spring next year at the soonest.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection initiative to deactivate nine interior Border Patrol stations in four states in six months came to light in July.

Wichita Falls Rep. Mac Thornberry is pressing federal officials to provide a plan for how agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will fill in the gap left by closing the interior patrol stations.

"My focus is on how the job gets done," Thornberry, a Republican from Clarendon, said. "We've been saying 'OK, show us the plan.' "

Budgetary pressures and legislative issues mean lawmakers can slow but probably not stop a decision to withdraw 41 agents and seven support workers while shutting down interior stations in San Angelo, Abilene, Dallas, San Antonio, Lubbock and Amarillo. The agency also plans to deactivate interior stations in Billings, Mont.; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Riverside, Calif., to focus resources on borders.

Local law enforcement officials in Texas have been vocal in their opposition to the change, saying they depend on Border Patrol agents to handle undocumented immigrants.

Thornberry said he is meeting with local law enforcement officials over the next several weeks in his district to discuss the issue. Not only have they been vocal in protesting the Border Patrol move, so have elected officials at the state, local and federal level, Thornberry said.

He announced in July that Congress denied an initial request from Customs and Border Protection to accelerate the shutdown of the interior stations.

"We can kind of slow up the closure," Thornberry said Friday. "If they're bound and determined to do it, legislatively, it's difficult to absolutely prevent it. But on the other hand, my understanding is they can't do anything until March."

Attempts to obtain comment from the Border Patrol on the issue this week were unsuccessful. Federal officials have told lawmakers they aren't going to deactivate any patrol stations until lawmakers resolve how to handle fiscal year 2013 appropriations, congressional aides said.

The federal government is operating under a resolution through March 27.

Budget pressures such as sequestration — $1.2 trillion in cuts over 10 years beginning in January — are among factors limiting efforts to prevent the stations from shutting down. Thornberry wrote a July 10 letter to protest Border Patrol station shutdowns. North Texas U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer and West Texas U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway signed off on the letter.

"The Border Patrol has committed to providing us with a copy of the implementation plan they're developing for deactivating stations," said Heather Vaughan, spokeswoman for Neugebauer, whose district includes Young County and part of Archer County.

"Once we've seen that, Congressman Neugebauer will look closely at the costs, schedule, and security impacts of closing these stations," the spokeswoman for the Republican from Lubbock said.

Customs and Border Protection officials have estimated shutting down the nine stations would save an estimated $1.3 million annually. At a Capitol Hill meeting in July, Customs and Border Protection officials indicated the proposal could cost $2.47 million in fiscal year 2013, which began Oct. 1.

Thornberry backs Border Patrol stations » Times Record News