Brooks County, Texas

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Brooks County is a county in Texas, United States, and Falfurrias is its county seat.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Its population was 7,076, approximately 88% Latino per the 2020 census.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of Texas's poorest counties.<ref name="Going" />

The county is named for James Abijah Brooks, one of the “Four Captains” who modernized the Texas Rangers. He retired to Falfurrias, served two terms as state representative, lobbied successfully for the county's creation, and served thirty years as county judge.

Brooks County has several large ranches, including Mariposa Ranch<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the King Ranch, both in the east. The county's largest employer is the Falfurrias Border Patrol interior checkpoint on US 281, built in 1994 outside the city limits and significantly enlarged in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

"Death Valley" for Migrants

Template:See also Brooks County is "the nation's busiest corridor for illegal immigration;"<ref name="Going" /> and a tracking camera records up to 150 people going through one piece of property nightly.<ref name="Going" /> More illegal migrants die in Brooks County than in any other county in America.<ref name="Brutal" /> Although it is about Template:Convert north of the border, it is on a main route headed toward San Antonio and Dallas from Mexico. The documentary Missing in Brooks County called the county the "epicenter" of America's immigration problem.<ref name=Guardian>Template:Cite news</ref> It was called a "Death Valley" for migrants in 2014.<ref name=Death/>

Many migrants attempt to bypass the Falfurrias United States Border Patrol interior checkpoint by hiking some Template:Convert around it through the open, dry terrain local ranchers call "the killing fields".<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The terrain is flat, sandy, and hard to walk on. The lack of landmarks can be disorienting, causing some migrants to walk in circles. Summer, with bright sun and high temperatures regularly exceeding Template:Cvt, can lead to dehydration, sunstroke, and death. Those attempting the trip with smugglers can be subject to mistreatment, including ransom and rape.<ref name="Brutal" />

Migrants in distress call 911, and there typically are "a few dozen cellphone calls a day".<ref name=Going/> Between 2016 and 2018, there were 722 calls leading to Border Patrol rescues, usually resulting in arrest or deportation.<ref name=Brutal/> The Border Patrol apprehends between 60 and 70 undocumented immigrants daily.<ref name="Brutal" /> Tom Slowinski, in charge of the Falfurrias Border Patrol facility in 2019, said, "No other checkpoint anywhere on the Southwest border catches more alien smuggling cases than this checkpoint right here."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Illegal immigrant death is also a significant issue. Between 2009 and 2018, over 600 bodies were recovered. Most are not identified. Consequently, Brooks County has been described as "the biggest cemetery in America.” According to Brooks County Deputy Sheriff Benny Martinez, the multiple of found to unfound bodies is probably 5 to 10 times.<ref name="Brutal" /> One estimate is that there are over 2000 unfound bodies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Consistent with these estimates, the number of reported missing persons exceeds the number of bodies recovered.<ref name="Brutal" />

The illegal immigration issue is a significant challenge for Brooks County. Migrants bypassing the Border Patrol checkpoint sometimes damage property, tear down fences, steal, or threaten residents of the ranches through which they trespass.<ref name="Brutal" /> Residents resent the reputation the Border Patrol checkpoint and migrant deaths have given their county. Most importantly, the cost of addressing these issues has overwhelmed county resources, and the county has been unsuccessful in getting additional federal help for the local impact of a significant national issue.<ref name=Death>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Brutal>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=Going>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The drain on local services is significant. The Border Patrol does not answer 911 calls or recover or bury dead bodies, so that falls on the county. The Brooks County Sheriff's Department, which once had 12 deputies, now has two, who work 48 hour weeks in aging vehicles with no health insurance. The Ed Rachal Memorial Library, Brooks County's only public library, is only open one day a week as of 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In contrast, the Border Patrol has in its Brooks County facility, the largest border checkpoint in the country, modern equipment, dozens of 4-wheel drive trucks with infrared night-vision capabilities, a car wash, a helicopter, a blimp, a canine team, and 300 agents.<ref name="Going" />

Measures to help the illegal migrants

South Texas Human Rights, based in Brooks County, operates a hotline to answer calls about missing persons.<ref name=Brutal/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Humanitarian groups have set up water stations and emergency beacons on some Brooks County ranches.<ref name=Brutal/> Doing so is illegal, and the Border Patrol sometimes arrests offenders, but jurors in Arizona refused to convict a defendant tried for the same crime.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Consequently, not all ranchers allow the water stations on their property. Those that do, reduce the likelihood that their property will have dead bodies.
The water stations and signs in the fields have their geographical coordinates, so migrants calling for help can tell rescuers where they are.
Due to property damage, some ranchers have stopped using fencing or placed ladders so the migrants can climb over the fences without damaging them.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One rancher, however, electrified his fencing with a 220-volt electric line.<ref name="Brutal" />
Forrest Wilder, editor of the Texas Observer, has called for the Farfurrias Border Patrol Station to be moved to a less dangerous location.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Measures against the migrants

Fourteen water stations were stolen in 2016.<ref name="Kristian">Template:Cite news</ref>
The South Texans' Property Rights Association, with over 600 members, tracks which landowners permit water stations and which do not.<ref name="Kristian" />
Texas Border Volunteers, a paramilitary group, apprehends and turns illegal migrants over to the Border Patrol. A co-founder is veterinarian Michael Vickers, who was in Missing in Brooks County.

Geography

Brooks County's total area is Template:Convert, with only Template:Convert (0.03%) covered by water per the U.S. Census Bureau.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

File:US 281.svg U.S. Highway 281
- File:I-69C (TX).svg Interstate 69C is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 281 in most places.
File:Texas 285.svg State Highway 285
File:Texas FM 755.svg Farm to Market Road 755

Adjacent counties

Jim Wells County (north)
Kleberg County (northeast)
Kenedy County (east)
Hidalgo County (south)
Starr County (southwest)
Jim Hogg County (west)
Duval County (northwest)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Brooks County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	633	573	724	7.94%	7.93%	10.23%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5	19	8	0.06%	0.26%	0.11%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	7	10	9	0.09%	0.14%	0.13%
Asian alone (NH)	7	18	29	0.09%	0.25%	0.41%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	0	0	0.08%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	3	4	12	0.04%	0.06%	0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (any race) (NH)	11	9	52	0.14%	0.12%	0.73%
Hispanic or Latino	7,304	6,590	6,242	91.57%	91.24%	88.21%
Total	7,976	7,223	7,076	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,076 people, 2,475 households, and 1,419 families residing in the county. As of the 2010 United States Census, 7,223 people were living in the county; 89.6% were White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 7.9% of some other race, and 1.4% of two or more races. About 91.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 7,976 people, 2,711 households, and 2,079 families were residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 3,203 housing units averaged Template:Cvt. The racial makeup of the county was 75.84% White, 0.19% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 21.58% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. About 91.57% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,711 households, 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 19.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.30% were not families. About 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92, and the average family size was 3.38.

In the county, the age distribution was 31.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $18,622, and for a family was $22,473. Males had a median income of $23,051 versus $16,103 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,234. About 36.90% of families and 40.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.70% of those under age 18 and 30.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

While Texas has become a Republican Party stronghold in the 21st century, Brooks County remains solidly Democratic.

No Republican presidential candidate has received a majority of the vote since the county's establishment in 1911. The highest Republican vote getters have been Richard Nixon, with 35% in his 1972 landslide and Donald Trump, with over 44% in 2024. Only four Democratic candidates have received less than 60% of the vote: Adlai Stevenson with almost 58% in 1956; George McGovern with 59.5% in 1972; Joe Biden with 59% in 2020; and Kamala Harris with 54% in 2024, the worst performance by a Democratic candidate in Brooks County.

Communities

City

Falfurrias (county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Rachal

Education

Brooks County Independent School District is the local K-12 school district.

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College) is the county's designated community college.<ref>Texas Education Code Sec. 130.167. BEE COUNTY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Template:Webarchive The legislation calls it "Bee County College".</ref>

Movie

Missing in Brooks County is a feature-length documentary that examines the deaths in Brooks County of migrants avoiding the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias. The film has won numerous movie festival awards. As of November 2021, RottenTomatoes has given it a 100% rating.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The movie tells the story of the county's plight with migrants, including the severe budget implications of the large, unreimbursed expense for recovering and burying migrants who died from dehydration or exposure. It was released for streaming November 2, 2021, and has been shown in selected theaters. It was shown on PBS's Independent Lens series in January 2022.

References

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External links

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