Amarillo's office among 7 to stay open



Posted: March 23, 2013 - 10:15pm
By ADAM D. YOUNG
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Amarillo Globe-News

LUBBOCK — U.S. Border Patrol offices in Amarillo and Lubbock and five others in the state originally slated for closure as soon as this month have a six-month reprieve, according to U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer.
The continuing resolution passed by the House and Senate to fund the federal government through September included a provision that prohibits the closures of interior Border Patrol stations, Neugebauer’s office announced in a statement Thursday.
“I’m really pleased that any potential closures of Border Patrol stations have been delayed,” Neugebauer said.
“I agree that every government agency needs to find ways to cut spending, but that should not be done at the expense of our national security, and that includes securing our border and maintaining interior enforcement,” Neugebauer said. “I’ll keep working to ensure that West Texans can depend on a strong Border Patrol.”
In a letter written with two other Texas congressmen and submitted to the U.S. Border Patrol’s chief, Neugebauer raised concerns the Border Patrol has not coordinated with other federal immigration agencies to develop an active plan to assist local authorities after the planned closures of several Texas Border Patrol stations, including in Abilene and San Angelo.
“Without Border Patrol or (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents available, how can the western half of Texas be adequately covered by federal officials?” the letter asks. “Also, if federal agents are unable to come to the scene to take the illegal aliens into custody, will these violators have to be released back into the general population?”
At the time, Neugebauer and Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe expressed their doubts about the federal government’s contingency plan in working with local law enforcement on immigration issues after announcing the U.S. Border Patrol would close its Lubbock station within six months to cut expenses.
If the stations close after September, affected agents will relocate to existing stations of their choice, according to a statement from Bill Brooks, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Lubbock’s Border Patrol station opened in 1955, and Amarillo’s reopened in 1969, according to the agency website. The two stations cover more than 50,000 square miles of the South Plains, Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, according to the website.
The Border Patrol enforced all immigration laws until the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
The Border Patrol then began focusing on illegal immigration and human trafficking.
http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-03-23/amarillos-office-among-7-stay-open