Real County Post

  • About Us
    • Hill Country Post
      • Newsletter
      • Our Lead Editor
      • Editors
      • Heroes
        • Hero Stories
        • Wall of Remembrance
    • Mission Transition
      • Related Posts
      • Website
    • Contact Us
  • News
    • Community
    • Finance
    • Food & Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Obituaries
    • Sports
  • Counties
    • Share a Local Story
      • Community Events
      • Community History
    • Bandera
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Blanco
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Edwards
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Frio
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Gillespie
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Kendall
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Kerr
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Medina
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Real
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
    • Uvalde
      • Related Stories
      • Officials & Public Places
      • Local Churches
      • Parks
      • Did You Know …
  • Local
    • Featured Businesses
    • Local Businesses
      • Agricultural
      • Business Services
      • Construction Services
      • Healthcare Providers
      • Hunting & Fishing
      • Lodging & Recreational
      • Personal Care
      • Real Estate
      • Restaurants & Markets
      • Retail & Miscellaneous
    • Shop
      • Cart 🛒
      • Checkout ⇒
  • Advertise Here
    • Submit Your Ad
  • Listings
  • Account

Congressional Democrats ask feds to investigate whether Texas migrant arrests violate constitutional rights

BY JOLIE MCCULLOUGH at The Texas Tribune, OCT. 29, 2021

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

More than two dozen Democratic members of Congress called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney general to investigate legal problems that have arisen out of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative to arrest and jail migrants on state criminal charges.

The letter, penned by 26 Democrats from Texas and across the country Friday, asks the federal government to investigate whether Abbott’s “catch and jail” immigration policy violates the U.S. Constitution, citing the violations of state law and logistical problems that have arisen from more than 1,600 trespassing arrests, as reported by The Texas Tribune.

In response to increasing illegal border crossings, Abbott since July has directed Texas state police to arrest migrants on state criminal charges. Almost all of the arrests have been for alleged trespassing on private property in Val Verde and Kinney counties.

Since the arrests began, local judicial systems have been overwhelmed, consistently holding hundreds of men without filing charges and at times going weeks without appointing them lawyers, in violation of state law.

“These operations have continued to militarize Texas’ border communities and interfered with the federal immigration system, likely violating the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution,” the members wrote. “Even more egregiously, these programs have directly led to a violation of state laws and constitutional due process rights.”

The letter cites Tribune reports of missteps throughout the operation, including police wrongfully separating asylum-seeking families to make trespassing arrests, delays by prosecutors that led to illegal detention, and migrants said to have unknowingly signed away their rights to a lawyer.

Abbott’s office responded to the letter Friday, saying the governor’s border security initiative is needed to address an immigration crisis he says is caused by President Joe Biden’s “dangerous and reckless open border policies.”

“Until President Biden and his Administration do their job to enforce the laws of our nation and protect Americans, the State of Texas will continue stepping up to secure our border and protect our communities,” said Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott.

Neither DHS nor the U.S. Department of Justice immediately responded to requests for comment.

As of Thursday, more than 900 migrants were detained in state prisons retooled as state-run jails for those accused of immigration-related crimes.

So far, many of the trespassing charges have been dismissed, or the migrants have posted bond to be released from state custody. Migrants whose cases have been dismissed, often because of asylum claims or prosecutorial errors, are taken back to the border for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, local and state officials report. Migrants who have bonded out or pleaded guilty to a sentence of time they have already been in prison are almost always released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Once the men are in ICE or CBP custody, they are either held in immigration detention, released on asylum bonds pending future immigration hearings or deported to Mexico or their country of origin, multiple attorneys said.

Defense attorneys have said in recent court hearings that their clients who have bonded out of the state prison into immigration detention are often impossible to locate. The federal lawmakers asked for DHS to better provide telephone access to the men so they can contact their families and attorneys.

In their letter, the Democrats ask federal officials to “ensure that no state is overstepping its authority with respect to the federal immigration system and that migrants are treated with the respect and humane dignity they deserve.”

The letter was signed by Texas Democrats Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Veronica Escobar of El Paso, Filemon Vela of Brownsville, Sylvia Garcia of Houston, Colin Allred of Dallas and Lloyd Doggett of Austin. It was also signed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and 19 other Democrats.

Oct 29, 2021Hill Country Post

See the original article: https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/14842308/texas-migrant-arrests

1 year ago Featured, Hill Country Newsborder, border security, Governor Greg Abbott, immigration, Law Enforcement, state government, Texas border history, Texas Government, Texas Policy, Texas Politics, U.S./Mexico border10
Hill Country Post
Wondering who can get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and when? Here’s what Texans need to know.Texas lawmaker keeping mum on inquiry into what books students can access as school districts grapple with how to respond
 About Us 

A centralized state of the arts source of information for people who live, work or visit the Texas Hill Country. See About Us for more details.

 Recent News 
  • Following the federal prosecution, Texas Republicans in Congress support Donald Trump. June 9, 2023
  • Texas files a national haze control plan lawsuit against the EPA. June 9, 2023
  • Army Corps releases a testing strategy for contaminants in Matagorda Bay in an effort to move forward with channel expansion. June 9, 2023
  • Unlocking The Reputation Of The War Baby With The M1 Carbine June 9, 2023
 Contact Us 

Share your Hill Country stories with us. We gladly welcome community input and suggestions for articles on our website.

Phone: (210) 568-1568

Email: editor@hillcountrypost.org

Follow Us on Social Media
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Gab
Visitors:
2019 - 2023 © Hill Country Post | A Community-Based Initiative of the Mission Transition Foundation A 501(c)(3) Public Non-profit | Terms & Conditions | Powered by Fidelity Partners Website Designs

Make a pit stop at our Hill Country Community Shop 🛍️ Dismiss