A Democrat judge has suddenly reversed course and apologized after public pushback following his blocking of a $15,000 donation to Texas border town law enforcement.
The public will now be allowed to donate to border town law enforcement to help put up a fight against illegal immigration and its effects on the surrounding community after a Cameron County court judge was raked over the coals for his “disrespectful” treatment of a Texas constable.
“If I was disrespectful to you in short, which it appears I was, I’m going to apologize to you,” Democrat Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. told Constable Norman Esquivel on Tuesday.
“I think the questions I asked were needed and necessary considering the contribution being made to the county. And the fact that the other law enforcement entities at the local level weren’t invited, weren’t aware of it… but that’s no reason for me to have been short or curt with you,” the judge told Esquivel in a semi-apology.
(Video Credit: One America News Network)
Following the judge’s remarks, the motion to distribute the funds was carried, according to the Post Millenial.
This occurred after Trevino originally tabled the distribution of donations raised for a police department located in Brownsville, Texas following a cleanup of the border town.
John Rourke, who is the owner of Blue Line Moving and founder of We Fund The Blue Foundation and the Great American Cleanup, raised the funds. Those groups helped clean up trash left behind by illegal immigrants in border towns. They have also provided disaster relief to areas across the country impacted by natural and man-made disasters.
We Fund the Blue donated $15,000 to Precinct 1 in Texas to honor the officers who spent two days in the heat, alongside other volunteers, to clean up the trash that was left everywhere after illegal aliens came through the area.
(Video Credit: Ben Kanceled)
The Board of County Commissioners had to approve the funds before they could be accepted by the police department. When the issue came before him, Judge Trevino attacked the motives of both the organizations and officers involved.
Constable Esquivel went before the board to ask for approval of the funds. He noted that they would be used to obtain additional equipment and other necessities for his department. But Trevino called the donation “political” and moved to table discussion on it, essentially blocking it.
Rourke was incensed over what he saw as a vicious, petty, and politically motivated move by Trevino. When he got his turn to speak in front of the County Commissioners, he tore into the disrespectful way Esquivel was treated by the judge.
(Video Credit: Gateway Pundit)
“Thank you for having me on. The reason why I am joining this conversation is because I just kinda wanted to clear the air about the Great American Cleanup and what we do and why we do it,” he said.
“This is my fourth clean-up, Brownsville, Texas. The previous three being in inner-city Baltimore where we picked up 26 tons of trash off the streets of inner-city Baltimore, the Easterwood District, 20 blocks. Two gentlemen overdosed. We saved their lives with Narcan on the streets of Baltimore,” Rourke noted.
“Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Texas… both of those cleanups. Cleaned up tons and tons of trash, donated $10,000 to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Department and the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department. Both Democrat sheriffs… then Brownsville, Texas where we were able to raise $15,000 and donate it straight to Precinct 1. Constable Esquivel did an amazing job out there and we collected 21,240 pounds of trash down by the old golf course, Fort Brown, area there,” he recounted.
Video obtained by Breitbart News of John Rourke’s Great American Cleanup on the southern border shows some of the trash left behind by migrants, including baby clothes and an opened condom wrapper. pic.twitter.com/mrIBUpucFo
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 13, 2023
Rourke gave an impassioned defense of the constable which should never have been necessary in the first place.
“So the reason why I am here, honestly, is to stand up for the constable. This is a man where we have our political leaders, at this time, always wanting more from the police. Wanting more community policing. More police officers doing the right thing, being involved in their community, and giving back. And this is exactly what this officer did,” Rourke claimed.
“He was out there with his officers, 107-degree weather, two days in a row picking up 21,240 pounds of trash. And I believe that is what every law enforcement agency should look to do when trying to get involved with their community,” he asserted. “And frankly, what happened the last time he stood in front of the Commissioner’s Court was disrespectful.”
“The way that you spoke to that officer wasn’t becoming of a county judge… and I think he deserves an apology. He was spoken to like he was a criminal. He should have been congratulated. And this goes for all the commissioners that were sitting next to you. None of them butted in and none of them interrupted and said, ‘Hey wait a minute, maybe we should try thanking him for what he did’ regardless of if you believe it is a political cleanup or whatever it was, that doesn’t mean anything,” Rourke continued.
Great American Cleanup Founder John Rourke @BLUELINEMOVING1 w/Dan Ball on Real America Discussing an Update on Border Cleanup Efforts
If you ever miss an episode of #realamericawithdanball on @OANN Just download the #oan app and watch it #ondemand pic.twitter.com/UM8YDKNFdH— One America News (@OANN) September 27, 2023
“The facts are the facts. We cleaned up tons and tons, 10.6 tons of trash. I know you said you wanted this to be done… ‘Why didn’t you do a beach clean up?'” he threw back at Trevino.
“Because the way America works is I’ll clean up where I want to clean up. That’s how it works here, okay? If I want to clean up a beach, I’ll go clean up a beach. But this wasn’t a beach clean up Judge. This was a border clean-up. And for good reason I am sure you’re aware of. I’m not sure of any other beaches that exist where we are going to pick up 10.6 tons of trash,” Rourke sarcastically informed the board.
“So I demand an apology to the Constable. I think the way you acted was unprofessional and we shouldn’t do that to our elected officials. We should stand up for police officers that do the right thing. And this is a police officer that does the right thing time and time again and he deserves respect and that’s all I have to say,” he concluded.