Special to the NEWS
OLMITO, TX—Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), joined by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Manny Treviño, recently delivered $375,000 in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Community Project Funding he secured for the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office.
The funding will upgrade 61 patrol vehicles with bullet-resistant windshields, adding an extra layer of protection for the 115 uniformed deputies serving Cameron County.
The Congressman also announced $3,880,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Operation Stonegarden to improve border security and support additional law enforcement personnel, overtime pay, new equipment, and other related activities.
“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and they deserve reliable equipment to stay safe and return home to their families,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “Thanks to the funding I secured and enacted into law, we are strengthening community safety and empowering Cameron County to improve its recruitment and retention of skilled deputies.”
“I’m grateful to Sheriff Treviño for leadership and to every deputy, dispatcher, and member of the Sheriff’s Office for working to ensure South Texas remains one of the safest places in the country to live, work, and raise a family,” he added.
“The funding opportunity for ballistic-resistant windshields for our patrol vehicles is particularly meaningful to our agency,” said Sheriff Treviño.
“This equipment will provide an additional layer of protection for our deputies as they serve and protect our community every day. We sincerely appreciate Congressman Gonzalez’s continued support for law enforcement and his commitment to providing agencies like ours with the resources needed to protect our deputies and the citizens of Cameron County,” Sheriff Treviño added.
As a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Gonzalez successfully secured $12.6 million in federal funds for 15 community projects this past year, including funding to enhance both public and deputy safety.
Gonzalez is currently serving his fifth term in the United States Congress. He is the elected representative for Texas’s 34th District, which encompasses eastern Hidalgo County and all of Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Willacy Counties.
According to his online biography, Congressman Gonzalez earned his GED in 1985 and then attended Del Mar College, where he received an Associate’s degree in Banking and Finance in 1990.
He worked his way through college at Embry-Riddle University, where many of his classmates were active-duty military personnel.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Aviation in 1992 and later a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M School of Law) in 1996. In 1997, Congressman Gonzalez opened his law practice, V. Gonzalez & Associates.
Congressman Gonzalez is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, where he serves on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions.
He is also a member of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group. Congressman Gonzalez currently serves as Communications and Outreach Co-Chair for the Blue Dog Coalition.
A lifelong resident of South Texas, Congressman Gonzalez is married to Lorena Saenz Gonzalez, a former teacher and school administrator in Edinburg and McAllen. The couple resides in the Rio Grande Valley.