The Fort Stockton City Council on March 13 approved Resolution 23-107R, which authorizes the city to file a grant application with Governor Greg Abbott’s office for a local border security program known as Border Star.

“Right now, we’re operating off the Lone Star grant, we want to enter the Border Star grant,” said Fort Stockton Police Chief Ernesto Velasquez. “Basically, we’re gaining access coming from the border, Highway 385, 285 since Fort Stockton is a hub. We’re also looking for undocumented aliens, drug trafficking cases. Hopefully to build those type of cases.”

The city is asking for a little more than $10,000.

The Border Star program provides funding and resources to state and local agencies, coordination for targeted interagency operations, an intelligence-sharing network, training and education, and new technological initiatives to enhance border security.

The city council unanimously voted to approve applying for the grant.

*In addition, Chief Velasquez reported that the police department received a donation of $1,250 from Allsup’s.

“They invited us to the grand opening, they had a band there, and they surprised and presented us with a $1,250 check,” Velasquez said.

“We appreciate Allsup’s doing that for y’all,” said Fort Stockton Mayor Chris Alexander.

The council voted to accept the donation.

*The council also voted to approve a funding request for $10,000 by Frontier CASA, Inc. - Court Appointed Special Advocates for children.

“CASA has asked for assistance,” said Fort Stockton City Manager Frank Rodriguez. “We did budget, but we budgeted for another entity, which we hadn’t given any funding to that other entity since 2018. CASA’s up-andcoming, they’re starting.”

The city had been providing funding for the Lilah Smith Safehouse in Fort Stockton, but had not, since 2018 .

“It had already been stated that they are stand-alone, they were doing well, receiving grants,” Rodriguez said. That organization, which separated from the Crisis Center of West Texas in 2019, became its own agency – First Response Ministry Inc. – on March 2, 2019 and serves adult survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in Pecos County and surrounding counties.

“So now, CASA has come through and asked for funding,” Rodriguez added. “And do have that available in our budget.”

CASA are an all-volunteer nonprofit group who speaks up for the best interest of abused and neglected children in the court system.

The council voted unanimously to approve the funding.