Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. responded Tuesday to claims that the Cameron County Sheriff's Office is being defunded by Cameron County leaders.

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Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza said the county is cutting much needed positions, including jailers and patrol officers, in response to a failed lawsuit the county filed against him last year.

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At a Tuesday press conference, Treviño Jr. said the decision behind the hiring freeze and the elimination of 55 positions was due to budget constraints after Garza put a stop to accepting federal inmates.

"And also not to increase the taxes to the constituents of Cameron County as a result of the actions of the sheriff," Treviño Jr said. "If the sheriff had effective administrative control of his budget and had not lost the revenue generated by housing federal inmates and inmates from Hidalgo County, the commissioner's court would have had additional funds to address county operations overall."

Garza was at the press conference and said the lack of pay is what's causing his jailers and other staff to leave the department.

Garza told Channel 5 News he's still considering taking legal action against the county.