The year 2025 has been one of significant challenges for our community. Across Texas, counties like ours continue to face state interference, including increasing unfunded mandates that strain local budgets.
Programs like Operation Lone Star and the 287(g) agreement under SB 8 cost local taxpayers millions while doing little to solve real problems. At the federal level, the Trump administration’s agenda continues to threaten immigrants, families and the communities that contribute every day to the strength of our city.
For more than three decades, Texas has served as a blueprint for restrictive governance. Unfunded mandates, voter suppression, and punitive approaches to public services have shaped the state’s priorities. At the same time, our community has become a blueprint for how to organize, resist, and fight back.
Here in El Paso, we show that when neighbors come together, collaborate, and lead with values, we can overcome obstacles imposed from above. Our city demonstrates that resilience, connection and shared purpose are more powerful than top-down politics…