Why is disabled man in Tarrant jail instead of getting help he needs? | Opinion
Help, not jail
Shawn Fraraccio has intellectual and developmental disabilities, and although he is 26 years old, his mental capacity is that of a 7-year-old. (March 15, 1A, “Mom fears for health of mentally challenged son in jail”) He’s been in the Tarrant County Jail for more than 15 months. Imagine your first-grader in jail, much of it in solitary confinement.
My Health My Resources of Tarrant County should have referred him to a state-supported living center immediately. A judge issued a civil commitment order in May 2025. Yet Fraraccio remains in jail, where he is deteriorating physically and emotionally.
MHMR must act with urgency on Fraraccio’s behalf. How many other people with similar disabilities are in the county jail? Fraraccio has been promised a bed in a state living center by mid-April, but bureaucratic mindsets stand in the way. Let’s get Fraraccio the help he needs.
- Katherine Godby, Arlington, Justice Network of Tarrant County
Fund DHS
Washington’s long-lasting dysfunction over Department of Homeland Security funding is not just political theater. It is hurting American workers.
In Texas, we see the consequences of immigration policy every day. Homeland Security is a $90 billion agency responsible for border enforcement, airport security and maritime protection. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues operating, but funding instability is hitting TSA agents, Coast Guard members and support staff — Americans who rely on steady paychecks.
Democrats have allowed opposition to immigration enforcement to bleed into broader DHS funding, creating unnecessary instability. Republicans, meanwhile, are failing to deliver a solution despite making border security a central issue.
Both sides are falling short. Congress must pass a clean DHS funding bill, separate policy fights from basic funding responsibilities and guarantee uninterrupted pay for DHS personnel.
- Benjamin Hewitt, Euless
It’s a quagmire
President Donald Trump has gotten America into a Middle East quagmire. Who’s going to pay for it, and at what cost? The unplanned and poorly deliberated war has dragged on, raising energy costs globally and inflating the price of everything.
Trump has limited options: invade Iran with ground forces or withdraw without a mission complete, or leave the Strait of Hormuz blocked.
Now, Trump is mad because some European allies won’t support his mistake. NATO is a defensive organization that responds when one of its members is attacked. In this instance, Iran did not attack America.
- Robert J. Terry, Fort Worth