Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to investigate the local border enforcement process led by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas and 25 other members of Congress signed a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas.
The letter demands an immediate investigation into Abbott’s “efforts to establish a separate immigration policy for the state,” referring to what Abbott called Operation Lone Star.
Through the process, Abbott has hired state law, police, Texas National Guard, and law enforcement officers from other countries On the border of Texas and Mexico.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department said Thursday that the operation led to the seizure of illegal drugs and the arrest of tens of thousands of people.
Members of Congress said the program has wreaked havoc on the state’s judicial system, militarized Texas’ borders and communities, and interfered with the federal immigration system.
A state judge has ordered the release of hundreds of people arrested in the Abbott operation after being held for weeks without charges and without access to lawyers.
Lawyers for the case of two men held for more than 50 days without charge said the Abbott operation targeted Mexican and Central American men.
Many of the arrests have taken place in counties that do not have enough staff to process the arrests, which has led to overcrowding in law offices and resulting in charges not being filed on time and other problems.
Castro said the operation was a possible violation of the sovereignty clause in the constitution. The clause gives federal laws and the Constitution priority over conflicting state laws.
Castro said agencies should investigate whether Abbott was violating the due process rights of the arrested people.
He called on the Department of Homeland Security to clarify the immigration process for people in custody through Operation Lone Star. Some have been handed over to Customs and Border Protection.
“We also request that the Department of Homeland Security provide immigrants who enter its custody after they are released from state custody the possibility of regular and timely telephone contact so that they can inform loved ones and their attorney of their whereabouts,” the letter said.
Some lawyers and advocates have complained about the Biden administration’s cooperation with the state in the process.
On Thursday, Texas officials said that since March they have seized thousands of pounds of illegal drugs and more than $5.4 million in currency and arrested 149,000 people, ValleyCentral reported.
Abbott, who is running for re-election in 2022 and considered a potential presidential candidate for 2024, launched the state-run operation, which was Some border residents welcomed her.
“Texas deserve the rule of law on the Texas border, and that’s exactly what Governor Abbott is doing,” Abbott’s press secretary, Rina Eazy, said in an emailed statement.
She said President Joe Biden’s immigration policies were to blame for a “crisis” at the border and in the country. She said Abbott addresses that.
The state provided Finance for operation and interrupts. The governor signed a bill last month that adds almost another 2 billion dollars for border enforcement, including money for a border wall that Abbott is building.
The state used two prison units as detentions for people arrested along the border, in some cases based on allegations of criminal trespassing.
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