SAN ANTONIO – Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones asked federal immigration officers “take steps to not inadvertently deter or dissuade lawful U.S. voters from voting due to fear,” in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s runoff primary.
The letter comes days after a traffic stop, initiated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, prompted a response to a West Side library from multiple law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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The traffic stop resulted in the arrest of 50-year-old Rogelio Cortez, who state troopers said had an outstanding vehicle burglary warrant.
Bexar County officials said he was not a voter, nor did the incident “affect access to the polling site or disrupt voting operations.”
In the letter, Jones asked Mullin to provide guidance to ICE officers about the “sensitivities around polling sites.”
KSAT spoke to a witness of the Wednesday traffic stop, who said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told a DPS trooper to “get out of here because it’s intimidating the voters.”
In a statement to KSAT later that afternoon, Salazar described the state trooper as “extremely professional” and reaffirmed that the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of “election security.”
“I want to assure everybody that polling sites are safe and secure,” Salazar said. “I’ve gotten some assurances that federal authorities are not, in fact, targeting polling sites — as they should not.”
Jones concluded the letter by extending an offer to have an “open dialogue” with Mullin, in the interest of balancing public safety and transparency.
Read the full letter below:
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