On January 1, 2017, Sheriff Javier Salazar (Democrat) was sworn in as Bexar County’s 34th Sheriff. Bexar Country encompasses the greater San Antonio metropolitan area and is home to nearly 2 million Texans. During his tenure, San Antonio transferred $1.3 million of the police budget to the health department during the Defund the Police fad (2020) and murder rates increased steadily from 2019-2021. 2021 murder numbers were the highest since 1994 when the city suffered from severe spikes in gang violence.
In 2021, Fox News reported that San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the US and the 2nd largest in Texas, has become one of the biggest hubs in the US for drugs smuggled across the border from Mexico. To combat the increased drug trafficking through San Antonio, “DEA reorganized the San Antonio district by adding additional people and management staff and split Austin and Waco, away from the San Antonio district.” 1 The DEA had to shift manpower to do what Sheriff Salazar could not or would not do.
Crime has dramatically worsened in the past 2 years. Previously safe gated communities on the north side are now sharing in the car jackings, home invasions, and kidnappings plaguing the rest of the city. Many home owners associations are debating hiring armed guards to protect their residents. I live in the north side of San Antonio and now carry a concealed firearm when I run in the parks.
In addition to near record murders, crime, and drug smuggling/cartel activity in the Alamo City, the Sheriff has presided over unprecedented illegal immigration. “Since April 2021, more than 185,000 migrants have arrived in the city, typically staying only for one to three days, according to the City of San Antonio. The numbers have picked up recently, with the city estimating 19,000 immigrants will come through in [a single month].”2
CARAMBAH