In anticipation of a law enforcement summit with Governor Greg Abbott that will be held on Thursday in Del Rio, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez Tuesday hosted a local summit with elected officials and community leaders to discuss the local impact of immigration.

“I take seriously the concerns that some have regarding the surge of migrants crossing our borders so I wanted to get direct feedback from local stakeholders to prepare for the summit that Governor Abbott has called in Del Rio on Thursday,” Judge Cortez said.

The Thursday summit comes after Gov. Abbott issued a disaster declaration last week in response to what his office called a “border crisis” along Texas' southern border. Abbott called for the border summit while declaring later that he intended to use state resources to begin arresting migrants illegally crossing into the United States.

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At the summit, Judge Cortez said he plans to ask several questions including which law enforcement agencies will be arresting these migrants, who will be paying the cost of holding these prisoners and, if state charges are filed, who is going to pay for their defense.

“I empathize with the concerns Governor Abbott has regarding this surge in migration,” Judge Cortez said in a statement. “But I am responsible to the taxpayers of Hidalgo County and I want to be assured that we will not be incurring additional expense to perform the functions of the federal government.”