DEL RIO, Texas (Reuters) - Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez is worried.
FILE PHOTO: Migrants from Haiti arrive to the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition after being released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Del Rio, Texas, U.S., March 21, 2021. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
More migrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border near Del Rio, Texas than Martinez recalls in his 13 years as Val Verde County Sheriff. They wade across the Rio Grande river and into residents’ yards.
But it is members of his own community that have Martinez most concerned.
Last month, he said, a resident fired his gun to scare a group of migrants walking on the outskirts of town; nearby schools were locked down in response. He said unfounded accusations have spread on social media blaming migrants for crimes like break-ins. And at a recent community meeting, Martinez said, a resident asked him if she could use “deadly force” to stop migrants who step onto her land.