Watch: How the Race for Sheriff in Del Rio, Texas, Became a Referendum on Immigration

by Gerardo del Valle, ProPublica, and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune

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Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez has served four terms as the top law enforcement officer in Val Verde County, Texas, a sprawling rural territory that shares 110 miles of border with Mexico. It is a position his father dreamed of holding before he died at the age of 51. Martinez says his father, a staunch Democrat, raised him and his nine siblings to serve their community.

Martinez describes himself as Catholic and pro-life and pro-gun." He's also committed to his father's party. His relationships in Val Verde County have repeatedly propelled him into office, thanks to support from both Democrats and Republicans. But this year, Martinez's victory is less certain because some in Val Verde County don't think he's tough enough on immigration - even though securing the border is not a local sheriff's responsibility.

This short documentary follows Joe Frank, along with his brothers David and Leo Martinez, as they wrestle with the tensions around immigration in Del Rio, nearly three hours west of San Antonio. Martinez's run for office provides a glimpse at how new patterns of immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border have coincided with, if not driven, changing attitudes among voters who live there. Some communities once considered Democratic strongholds have begun to turn red, a trend bolstered by Republican efforts to court Latino voters.

Those efforts are changing politics in Val Verde County. A political action committee called Project Red TX has backed a candidate named Rogelio Roger" Hernandez to run against Martinez. Since 2018, the PAC has been recruiting and financially supporting Republican candidates in local races across majority Latino border counties. This year, it has backed 50 local candidates, including three in Val Verde County. Hernandez's signs have appeared all over town, with his slogan of bringing order to the border."

As border towns become the backdrop of a national immigration debate, how will it shape Del Rio? Watch this pressing short film presented by ProPublica, in partnership with The Texas Tribune, and go deeper by reading this story.

Lisa Riordan Seville, Mauricio Rodriguez Pons, Liz Moughon and Katie Campbell contributed to the production.

Correction

Nov. 2, 2024: This story originally misstated the direction that Del Rio is from San Antonio. It is west, not south.