The Democratic sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, has a strong message for supporters of former President Donald Trump who think Democrats aren’t tough enough on border security: “Try things out, find out.”
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night. Though his time at the United Center was short, Salazar left a strong impression on viewers.
“They pack the migrants like cattle into 18-wheeler trucks, 50, 100 at a time, and then they seal the door,” Salazar explained of traffickers on “the other side of the border” in Mexico. “And then the 911 call comes in.”
In June 2022, 53 illegal immigrants died in San Antonio, Bexar County, after being abandoned in a trailer with a faulty air conditioning unit.
Dressed in his usual uniform, including a sharp cowboy hat, Salazar described the calls Texas police officers hear in such incidents, saying callers are “desperate, scared (and) out of breath.”
The Bexar County sheriff stressed that they try to arrive “in time” to help but that it may not be possible. Sheriff Salazar then turned his attention to Trump.
“When Donald Trump comes to Texas and stands next to a police officer wearing the same uniform as me, he’s not there to help us,” Salazar said. “He’s a selfish man. He’s only made our job harder, like he did when he killed the border bill.”
Salazar was referring to a bipartisan border bill that died in the U.S. Senate in February 2024. CNN previously reported that Senate Republicans blocked the bill after opposition from House Republicans and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Bexar County Sheriff praises Harris for ‘years of fighting border crime’
The Bexar County sheriff then said Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, has “been fighting border crime for years.”
Salazar said Harris threw them in jail because the traffickers didn’t stop.
“In my hometown, we call it a ‘play check,’ so maybe I’m paraphrasing that a little bit,” Salazar said to thunderous applause.
“The border agents I know are just like Kamala,” Salazar said. “We protect the border, we serve, we enforce the law, we show compassion, and we fight tooth and nail to protect the border.”
The Bexar County sheriff was on stage at the Democratic National Convention for less than two minutes, but his words reverberated throughout the arena and on social media, with Bexar County trending on X through Thursday morning.
You can watch Salazar’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 21 below.
