Amada Baldovinos 
Mcallen-The city of McAllen has a yearly Amnesty Program to help residents with Class C Misdemeanors pay their dues and avoid getting arrested.
Class C Misdemeanors can be things such as traffic violation tickets, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct charges, which may qualify to get cleared or removed under the amnesty program.
When the city first began the program, it was set to avoid arresting residents who were not able to pay ticket fees and relieve them from some financial debt.
According to Lauren Sepulveda, presiding municipal judge at the Mcallen Municipal Court, there have been at least 150 to 200 violations reported each week of people who have received tickets and have not pleaded guilty which can later lead to a warrant for their arrest.
The city of Mcallen has been working on spreading the word about the program to avoid further arrests.
“We hope that everyone gets the message that if that is what you’re afraid of, you know those balances, come in and work with us we’ll find a way to work through it. I don’t want to send anybody to jail just because they can’t pay. That’s the goal here,” said Sepulveda.
Anybody is eligible to qualify for the Amnesty Program.
“If you walk in on your own and you know you have delinquent tickets and you tell us, ‘Hey I have delinquent tickets, I’m here to make arrangements today you’re going to qualify for amnesty,” said Sepulveda.
UTRGV Biology Major Jonathan Martinez says that he hasn’t needed the amnesty program but can understand how people who may be struggling financially can benefit from it.
“I think 30 days is enough, otherwise many people would do the same thing, you know, just wait until another program comes up” and “It’s harsh because you have to pay education bills, tuition, bills, house, rent,” said Martinez.
The amnesty Program will be available until November 30th for more information contact the Mcallen Municipal Court at 956-681-2900.
