Editing Kinney County, Texas (section)

===Undocumented migrants===
{{See also|Brooks County, Texas}}
Kinney County's southwest border is for {{convert|13|mile}} the [[Rio Grande]] and the border of Mexico. It is on the route for undocumented border crossers heading for [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], the closest city. According to the Kinney County official Web page, "Our county is being bombarded by hundreds of illegal aliens on a daily basis. Our local law enforcement is overwhelmed with illegal alien smuggling activity".<ref>{{cite web
|title=Defend Our Borders
|author=Kinney County, Texas
|authorlink=Kinney County, Texas
|date=2021
|accessdate=December 12, 2021
|url=https://defendourborders.org/}}</ref> In April 2021, Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe, County Judge Tully Shahan, and Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith jointly issued a declaration of a state of disaster in the county.<ref name=Croix>{{cite news
|title=Kinney Co. officials issue disaster declaration, calling on state leaders for help. County leaders said criminal activity is surging as a result of the influx of migrants crossing into the U.S.
|newspaper=[[KENS-TV]]
|first=Vanessa
|last=Croix
|date=April 21, 2021
|url=https://www.kens5.com/article/news/special-reports/at-the-border/kinney-co-officials-issue-disaster-declaration-calling-on-state-leaders-for-help/273-1ac31fd5-c37d-4221-8675-d201ab40f6d3}}</ref> The State of Texas, under Governor [[Greg Abbott]], has been moving state police and the [[Texas State Guard]] into Kinney and adjacent [[Val Verde County]]. As they cannot enforce federal immigration laws, they arrest migrants for trespassing on private property (ranches).<ref>{{cite news
|title=Helicopters and High-Speed Chases: Inside Texas' Push to Arrest Migrants. Texas is using state law enforcement in an unusual way in an attempt to stem illegal border crossings. The tactic is raising constitutional concerns and transforming life in one small town
|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
|first=J. David
|last=Goodman
|date=December 11, 2021
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/11/us/texas-migrant-arrests-police.html}}</ref>

Kinney County has a reputation for its aggressive enforcement of trespassing laws. A ''New York Times'' investigation found that the county arrested hundreds of migrants, collected bail from the migrants, and kept the money after the migrants were deported. The county stood out for keeping the bail money; other counties typically return bail money to migrants who were deported. Over a four-year period, the county collected $1.7 million, which is equivalent to funding the sheriff's department for a year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Herrera |first=Jack |date=2025-05-01 |title=How One Texas County Has Profited Off of Migrant Deportations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/us/migrants-border-bail-forfeit-kinney-county-texas.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>