Cortez warns of 30% drop in RGV retail business, citing ICE raids and SNAP cuts

MCALLEN, Texas — Rio Grande Valley retailers are suffering up to a 30 percent decline in sales, a drop Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez attributes to ongoing enforcement operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sweeping federal reductions to government safety-net programs like SNAP.

Speaking to the RGG Business Journal following a joint press briefing at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen on Wednesday, October 28, Cortez said the economic hits from federal spending cuts and immigration fears have combined to create what he concurs is a "state of emergency" for the border region.

“We’re seeing that now,” Cortez said, referencing local retail revenue trends. “You see some of the retailers — I’m not going to mention their names or the brands of the retail — but they’re down 30 percent. That’s a very significant drop in revenue, and all of this is really basically two things: people leaving the area because of this immigration issue, and people having less money to spend.”

Cortez emphasized that safety-net programs do not merely support recipients; they act as critical engines for local commerce.

“The last statistics that I received show 31 percent of the people in the county are receiving some kind of subsidies from the government,” Cortez explained. “That means that whatever dollar we receive from the government is circulated around our economy. So for every dollar that is taken away from our economy, it does not only affect the recipient of that money; it affects everybody else.”

To illustrate his point, Cortez offered a simple economic breakdown: “If the government pays a person $500 rent so they can have a place to live and $100 for power, they have received $600 in benefits... But now they have $600 that they don’t have to pay rent and don’t have to pay electricity to use somewhere else. So now they can go buy hamburgers, drinks, clothing from somebody else, and that is the circulation of the money. Now, let’s take that $600 away — that’s a direct hit to our economy.”

Cortez criticized broad federal budget cuts aimed at curbing program abuse, arguing that Washington’s approach harms innocent families. “The answer is not to eliminate the money. The answer is to remove any waste from that process, and the government is not doing that. Government is saying, ‘Oh, we have abuse, so we’re just going to cut it.’ But it’s like going after sharks and taking the dolphins with you.”

When asked if the combined pressures on healthcare, housing, and food security constitute a regional emergency, Cortez agreed without hesitation.

“Every morning, somebody wakes up not knowing where they’re going to eat. Every morning, somebody wakes up and doesn’t know if they have enough gasoline in their car to get to work. Somebody gets up in the morning and says, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to take care of a child that’s disabled or mental wellness.’ Who helps those people? We do.”

Cortez noted he plans to contact local university economists to formally analyze commercial and demographic data to quantify the full scope of the regional contraction.

Data highlights sharp SNAP decline across RGV

The economic alarm sounded by Cortez aligns with data compiled by Bread for the World from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

According to background data provided by Felipe Salinas of Bread for the World, SNAP participation across the four Rio Grande Valley counties (Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, and Willacy) plummeted by 58,117 individuals (17.6%) between September 2025 and September 2026. Children accounted for 56.4% of that drop, totaling 32,752 children losing benefits.

Monthly SNAP disbursements across the RGV fell from $56.3 million in September 2025 to $44.7 million in September 2026 — a direct monthly drop of nearly $11.6 million. Utilizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economic multiplier of 1.80 (where every $1 of SNAP generates $1.80 in local economic activity), the loss of SNAP benefits deprives the RGV economy of approximately $28.8 million in total economic impact every month. Over the 12-month period from September 2025 to August 2026, SNAP payments injected over $610.9 million into the Valley economy, generating nearly $1.1 billion in total economic activity.

RGV SNAP Participation & Economic Data (Sept 2025 – Sept 2026)

Faith and community leaders call on voters to address hunger

The press briefing brought together civic and religious leaders across South Texas to launch Bread for the World’s non-partisan "Vote to End Hunger" campaign.

"Hunger is on the rise, and addressing it goes beyond charity," said Felipe Salinas of BFW-RGV. "It is a policy choice because for every meal a food pantry or food bank provides, the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nine. That’s why who we vote for makes a difference."

Dr. Rashmi Chandran, President and CEO of the AltaCair Foundation, stressed the political stakes: "Hunger is on the ballot. As voters weigh how they will vote, we are asking them to consider the hungry and the food insecure on the one hand, and those candidates who support full funding for programs like SNAP on the other."

Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville urged faithful citizens to consider the broader community when casting their ballots, reiterating points from his pastoral letter to Valley Catholics.

“As Catholics, we keep the common good in mind when voting,” Bishop Flores stated. “This means that we vote not out of self-interest, but out of a concern to promote the good of the whole community... Concerns about how to address issues affecting us locally, like hunger, family separations, community safety, and care for the elderly should also be in our minds as we decide how to vote.”

Judge Cortez added that assisting struggling families is a collective moral duty. “When a parent has to worry about whether there will be enough food for their children, that concern belongs to all of us,” Cortez said. “We are coming together because families in our community are facing that reality, and they should not have to face it alone.”

The press briefing included statements from community advocates, including Caly Fernandez, Executive Director of The House of Love and Justice Ministries; Rev. Carlos Navarro, Pastor of West Brownsville Baptist Church; and Elizabeth Rodriguez, Director of Farm Worker Advocacy for the National Farm Worker Ministry. Clergy responses were delivered by Rev. Kathryn Escandell (First Presbyterian Church, McAllen), Rabbi Nathan Farb (Temple Emanuel, McAllen), Rev.Gary Conklin (Our Savior Lutheran Church, McAllen), and Rev. Kevin Collins, OMI (St. Eugene de Mazenod Catholic Church, Brownsville).

Sr. Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic Charities RGV, delivered the closing Call to Action, reminding community members that advocacy does not end at the ballot box.

“Our responsibility as people of faith to end hunger includes a civic duty to vote and continue to be engaged with elected officials once they are in office,” Sister Pimentel said. “We urge voters to contact candidates and elected officials and ask them where they stand on feeding the hungry and the food insecure.”

Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of the interview with Judge Cortez:

Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of part of the press conference: