McAllen is a city of approximately 140,000 residents, located in southern Texas’ Hidalgo County, across the Rio Grande from Reynosa, Mexico. Local law enforcement have reported problems with prostitution in the community for several years, and residents and business owners have complained about commercial sex activity in some neighborhoods. Cases of targeted homicide of prostituted women have also been documented.

In an effort to address these issues, the McAllen Police Department has conducted periodic reverse stings since at least 2004. Operations are conducted at street level, using female undercover officers as decoys. In March 2007 and April 2009, for example, MPD officers arrested a total of 11 johns in two separate reversals. In more recent operations– conducted in October 2013, January 2015, October 2015, December 2015, and December 2017 — the department has conducted “dual” stings targeting both sex buyers and sellers.  Following their arrests, all individuals charged with prostitution-related offenses may have their names, mugshots, and/or other identifying information publicized by local media outlets.

In April 2019, a set of three sting and reverse sting operations resulted in the arrest of 10 males on prostitution charges and three for online solicitation of a minor during a law enforcement internet operation.  The operations were a collaboration between McAllen police and Homeland Security Investigations.  The identities of the arrested sex buyers were included in news releases.