EL PASO, TX (KVIA) — Advocates from the Hope Border Institute are urging local county leaders to take action as the El Paso Border Patrol Sector became the deadliest along the border in 2024. The organization will address El Paso County Commissioners for the first time today, during the Commissioners Court meeting.

A new report shows the sector reported 196 fatalities in 2024, a rise from 143 in 2023.

ABC-7 spoke with Aimée Santillán, policy analyst for the Hope Border Institute, who explained most of the deaths are due to dehydration and heat exposure in the outskirts of El Paso County and areas like the Mount Cristo Rey desert and Santa Teresa desert.

Santillán says migrant deaths have been happening since the beginning of the prevention through deterrence that was introduced the 1990's, but the rise locally started after President Biden passed the asylum proclamation in June of last year. “2023 was the first year that the number of deaths surpassed 100 with 143 deaths for the fiscal year,” she said.

Santillán says the most concerning part of the issue is the lack of concrete data regarding migrant deaths, “the county’s office of the medical examiner hasn't implemented a system to really analyze that data and differentiate between resident deaths and migrant deaths,” Santillán said.

The Hope Border Institute is calling on commissioners to improve data tracking to help non-governmental organizations (NGOs) address the crisis.

After speaking with Border Patrol and first responders for the organization’s report, Making Migrant Death Data Count, Santillán says their research revealed Border Patrol is understaffed and search-and-rescue missions are underfunded. “Sometimes they'll encounter someone while they're patrolling, but they don't have the medical resources or personnel that can quickly attend to the person,” Santillán said.

“We're very excited that the Commissioners Court is acknowledging this issue as a crisis for the first time,” Santillán said. “We need to really understand the data to know what other options we have, to really respond to what's going on.”

The Commissioners Court meeting will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse.

Stay with ABC-7 for the latest developments.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- In 2021, $203.4 million dollars were given by the federal government to the state of Texas to help fund mental health grants, programs and services.

The funding was made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act to help governments address mental health and substance use disorders following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those funds expired on December 31, 2024. Now, mental health advocates are calling for additional funding for these types of programs.

Rene Hurtado, the chief of staff at Emergence Health Network in El Paso, said EHN was awarded $5 million over the span of three years.

“We knew that those ARPA dollars were going to be finite, that it was only going to be lasting so long. So we tried to be strategic in how we use those moneys," he said.

Hurtado explained the funding went towards one-time projects like renovating clinics, buying technology for the 988 call center and purchasing prevention and wellness kits for community health workers working with at-risk populations.

“Every time we receive funding of that amount, it's always very welcome. We always want to make sure that we are maintaining top-flight services. So, so we want to make sure that our, our, our, our facilities are top-notch. We want to make sure that, that we are providing the best quality of services that we can to El Pasoans," Hurtado added.

He said despite the federal funding expiring, EHN El Paso or patients will not be impacted.

“It's not going to affect operations. Those moneys going away are not going to affect the day-to-day operations of emergence in our services.”

He said the funds going towards maintaining clinical programs were utilized strategically.

"So, we felt that that we used them appropriately. And now there's not going to be any ramifications to that. Individuals, our patients, our clients are not going to see any reduction in services.”

Hurtado said there is a growing need in El Paso and across the state of Texas.

“In El Paso, there is a need for more mental health professionals, so I don't think there's a question that we do not have enough licensed mental health professionals to provide the services that our community needs. So we, we remain underserved. There's still a great need for services.”

Despite EHN El Paso not being impacted, Hurtado said many other services and programs across Texas will be largely affected.

Hurtado and other advocates are calling on the Texas Legislature for more funding for mental health.

"As they're looking at the mental health system overall to please keep in mind that there are many folks in need. There are many folks who require these very intensive services that we offer, whether it's, it's clinical services whether it's making not just budget decisions but policy decisions in regards to, you know, how easy it is for folks to access mental health when they need it."

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Snow in northeast El Paso. Jan. 9, 2025. Credit: KFOX14/CBS4

El Paso, Texas(KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso experienced its first snowfall of the year, with the northeast part of town getting significantly covered by the wintry white stuff.

Residents expressed delight at the unexpected sight of snowflakes gently covering the ground.

"It's beautiful. I didn't expect it," said River Molinar.

While Promise Cook added, "Oh my god, we love the snow."

RECOMMENDED: GALLERY: Snow in the Borderland

Families in the area took full advantage of the snow day, building snowmen, throwing snowball fights, and making snow angels.

"We got off work and we said, 'You know, let's go to the park.' So, I haven't built a snowman in a while, but it was pretty cool," said Molinar.

Despite the excitement, residents were mindful of the cold temperatures.

"It's kind of cold, but I'm wearing a beanie, a normal shirt, and then a puffer jacket, so I'm warm, but my face is cold," Reighoynn Bosanko said.

Alex Cook advised, "Oh yeah, definitely bundle up. Wear gloves if you have gloves."

The snowfall was a rare treat for El Paso, with Bosanko noting, "It rarely snows in El Paso, so it's fun being able to experience snowball fights and making snowmen."

Javi Garcia recalled, "Last time it snowed it was Valentine's Day four or five years ago, so this is good. It was well needed."

RECOMMENDED: School delays, cancellations due to cold temperatures for Friday in Borderland

Overall, the snow day left a lasting impression on the community, with many hoping for more snowy days in the future.

"I think we are lucky," said Bosanko, reflecting the sentiment shared by many in the area.

You can stay up to date on weather conditions here.

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EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said El Paso made a great impression on her Friday during a visit with UTEP President Heather Wilson. Nevarez made her first visit to UTEP to celebrate the launch of UTEP’s Climb Higher campaign to support the MW transition. She said UTEP is a perfect fit for the league.

“I am so impressed with UTEP fans,” she said. “We look forward to welcoming the Miners to the Mountain West, revitalizing old rivalries, and creating new ones. We also want to introduce the younger generation to the excitement and passion of the Mountain West and help establish the next generation of UTEP and Mountain West fans.”

“At a time of tremendous change in college athletics, grit and grace are important attributes in a leader. Gloria has them,” said President Wilson. “We are so pleased to welcome Commissioner Nevarez to the beautiful city of El Paso.”

Besides touring the campus and athletics facilities, Nevarez will be in the Sun City until Sunday morning and will attend the men’s basketball team’s sold-out game versus I-10 rival NM State on Saturday night.

“I love how passionate the El Paso community is about UTEP Athletics. Being a Miner fan is truly about being a part of the community. UTEP’s athletic and academic vision aligns seamlessly with the Mountain West’s core values, mission, and strategic priorities,” she said. “As a prestigious R1 institution, UTEP will complement the other distinguished universities in the Mountain West.”

Climb Higher Campaign Launches

UTEP is launching its ‘Climb Higher’ fundraising campaign to aid in transition costs associated with the move to the Mountain West. A total of $7 million has already been raised towards the initial goal of $10 million, with the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation and the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation committing $2.5 million each.

“The El Paso community is pumped about this historic move to the Mountain West,” said Jim Senter, Vice President and Director of Athletics at UTEP. “The community is already lining up in support of this exciting transition.”

“It is exciting to see what has happened in the El Paso community since UTEP was announced as a new member of the Mountain West on October 1,” Nevarez said. “As evidenced by the recent gifts from the Hunt and Foster families, as well as the construction of a new $5 million football locker room in the Larry K. Durham Sports Center, the University continues to invest in its athletic program to ensure a successful transition to the Mountain West.”

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The state’s 50 community college districts, which are outperforming their initial expectations during their first two years under House Bill 8, will ask the 89th Texas Legislature for more money and a new way to track graduates to determine if the students get a return on their academic investment.

Leaders at El Paso Community College and the Texas Association of Community Colleges believe they have the support of legislators and expect to achieve their funding and policy goals during the next legislative session that runs from Jan. 14 through June 2.

The college districts, which were allotted $2.4 billion in the past biennium, want the legislature to include an additional $47 million in a supplemental appropriations bill to fund the programs’ additional accomplishments from its first two years. They also will request enough money to fully fund the next biennium. The amount will not be known until late January or early February after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shares its projections based on data from the 50 college districts.

Additionally, they want the state to develop a tracking system that will provide data the community colleges can use to show what their graduates do, where they do it geographically and how much they earn. This would add to the significant data collected by the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission.

“We want to see the economic mobility. We want to be able to look at data that shows that we’re doing our job,” said Ray Martinez, TACC president and CEO. “We’re slowly getting there.”

Measuring community colleges’ success

The landmark House Bill 8, which passed unanimously in 2023, changed the focus of community college funding from enrollment numbers to student outcomes. The aim is to prepare those graduates for additional education or for professions that offer job security, competitive wages and opportunities for promotion.

Through this new formula, college districts are judged on their number of graduates with degrees or credentials of value, academic transfers to four-year universities, completion of dual-credit courses, remedial courses for students who were not college-ready, adult learners who are upskilled or reskilled, and their efforts to collaborate with industry partners.

The incentives of House Bill 8 align with the state’s “Building a Talent Strong Texas.” Those goals include college credentials for working-age Texans because up to 70% of new jobs by 2031 will need a post-secondary education.

Martinez said that wage data must be factored into the THECB’s definition of credentials of value. He said that information is important and should be available to anyone ready to invest their time and money into a short-term credential or a two-year or four-year degree.

“All of that is relevant,” Martinez said. “I think we do a much better job today of being able to put that information forward and making it … transparent, but there’s more we can be doing.”

About 25% of the state’s community college students pursue a career and technical training path to earn a credential and enter the workforce. The rest plan to transfer to a four-year institution. About 85% of EPCC graduates transfer to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Preparing students, adapting programs

EPCC President William Serrata said that an enhanced tracking system will enable colleges to follow the progress of those who earn credits or degrees and then transfer, earn their bachelor’s degrees and find a job.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Serrata said.

The EPCC leader said that if the legislature agrees, colleges will have a better grasp of how their programs prepare graduates in different fields in the next four years. Some careers are easier to track than others. One of the tougher degree plans to follow is multidisciplinary studies, a personalized program that involves courses from multiple academic disciplines.

“Multidisciplinary students need a longer gestation time because you cannot accurately measure wages until after they earn their undergraduate degree,” Serrata said.

At this point, the state relies on unemployment insurance wage records, but that data does not include where the graduates worked, their duties or their salaries. As an example, current data could show a graduate works for H-E-B, a large supermarket chain in East, Central and South Texas. The data would show that the graduate works in San Antonio, the chain’s headquarters, regardless of the person’s actual job site. It also would not differentiate whether the employee served as a cashier, accountant, pharmacist or any other job.

David Troutman, THECB deputy commissioner for academic affairs, said that Texas has begun to fall behind other states on data collection in the areas of job titles and job locations. If he had his way, the state also would be able to collect which companies offer health benefits and employer-sponsored retirement plans.

He suggested a pilot program with about 10 of the state’s largest corporations to test the methods and necessary technology to ensure the data is complete, secure and accurate, and then scale up. He said that if there is cooperation, it could get done in a year or two. Regardless of the effort involved, he said the state needs to fill the job information gaps.

“We’re in 2025,” he said in a phone interview. “It shouldn’t be this difficult.”

Filling the gaps

The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1703, authored by District 79 Rep. Claudia Ordaz of El Paso, during its last session. Its goal was to update the state’s Workforce Development Evaluation System to create a more capable labor force.

Alma Aranda, director of innovation and development with Workforce Solutions Borderplex, said HB 1703 is a valuable early step toward understanding workforce needs. The goals of the five-year pilot program study are to determine the available data and the gaps that need to be filled to provide better services and outcomes across TEA, TWC and the THECB.

The WSB is a nonprofit certified by the Texas Workforce Commission as a local workforce development board for six counties.

“While (HB 1703) may offer insights into data gaps, (EPCC’s) current needs are more immediate and specific,” she wrote in an email response. “The data from HB 1703 could be valuable down the road. EPCC is a valuable partner, and WSB is ready to support as needed.”

Grace Atkins, a policy adviser for workforce and postsecondary education at Texas 2036, said her group will advocate for the enhanced tracking system to maximize the legislation’s potential, and any other initiatives that will help the colleges build on their HB 8 successes.

Atkins said that Texas 2036, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and advocacy organization, will provide the 32 new legislators background on HB 8 to familiarize them with its goals.

Atkins said the decision by the previous legislature to revamp the community college funding model for the first time in almost 50 years showed a lot of confidence. Legislators infused a lot of money into the districts – an additional $684 million – and it will be important to continue that level of funding.

“This is a really critical year,” Atkins said from her Austin office during a recent Zoom interview. “It’s important to continue that support going forward. It wasn’t just a one-time thing and we’re done.”

One other policy issue community college administrators want the legislature to fix is a minor – but significant – tweak. The original plan stated that community colleges would earn money if students with at least 15 credit hours transferred to one of the state’s public four-year universities. What is not funded currently is when that same student transfers to a nonprofit private university.

Daniel Perez

[email protected]

Daniel Perez covers higher education for El Paso Matters, in partnership with Open Campus. He has written on military and higher education issues in El Paso for more than 30 years. More by Daniel Perez