Vera: When it comes to mental health services, Starr County should be part of the RGV, not Webb County

EDINBURG, Texas – Starr County Judge Eloy Vera says he will be watching for two big issues during the 89th Legislature in Austin.

One involves mental health funding and the other plans to turn a 1,400-acre ranch into a deportation facility.

Vera spoke about Starr County’s legislative agenda at the recent State of the RGV event hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance.

“There are two major things that I would think would we were would be very concerned about. One is mental health. (Hidalgo County) Judge (Richard) Cortez and I have talked on the phone currently. Starr County, we belong to the Border Region Behavioral Health Center, which is in Webb County. And Webb has been a good neighbor, a good partner with us,” Vera said.

“But our people really don’t have anything in common with Webb County. Our people come to the Valley, whether it’s McAllen, Edinburg, Weslaco, Harlingen, wherever, to do their shopping, to do their trips to the Valley. Very few people go to Webb County.”

Vera said Starr County residents that need mental health services patients get sent to Laredo, most of the time.

“They don’t have any beds there, so they they get sent further afield, to San Antonio. Now with DHR (Health) expanding their mental health facilities here (in Starr County), I think it’s an opportune time for us to move to the Valley.”

The only problem with that, Vera said, is that he has heard that Starr County being incorporated into the Valley for mental health services would negatively impact Tropical Texas Behavioral Health. Tropical Texas has outpatient clinics in Edinburg, Weslaco, Harlingen and Brownsville.

“It is my understanding that by us moving to Tropical, that they might be losing out on some funding. And if that’s the case, then we need to promote in Austin the fact that we need more funding so that we can better serve our mental health needs in Starr County and here in the Valley. That’s very important to us.”

Deportation facilities 

As for the Texas General Land Office’s offer to lease a 1,400-acre ranch in Starr County to the federal government to build deportation facilities, Vera said:

“We certainly want to see if it’s going to have a positive or negative impact, this 1,400 acres that have been offered to incoming President Trump for the deportation facility. How is that going to affect us in Starr County? If it’s going to create jobs, and, I guess, grow our economic development, certainly we’re for it. If it’s going to hinder it, then, of course, we’re going to opposed it. So those are things that we need to keep an eye on.”

State lawmakers that attended the Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s 2025 RGV Legislative Tour had the opportunity to visit the GLO’s 1,400-acre ranch in Starr County.

The post Vera: When it comes to mental health services, Starr County should be part of the RGV, not Webb County appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.