Converted Texas prison gets first immigrant detainees as Gov. Greg Abbott's border security effort

[TexasTowelie]

Converted Texas prison gets first immigrant detainees as Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security effort ramps up

by Jolie McCullough, Texas Tribune and Lomi Kriel, Texas Tribune/Propublica


A Texas prison has officially started detaining immigrants accused of state crimes after allegedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s heightened border security efforts.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Wednesday that Val Verde County, home to Del Rio, sent three people arrested under Abbott’s border initiative Tuesday to the Briscoe Unit in Dilley, a small town between San Antonio and Laredo. The number of detainees is expected to grow rapidly; the Val Verde county attorney predicted about 50 arrests of immigrants a day, ramping up to as many as 200 daily by August.

The Val Verde County sheriff’s office said the Briscoe detainees had been arrested on accusations of criminal trespassing. County officials previously said state police would begin arresting immigrants crossing the border, largely on trespassing and criminal mischief charges — both misdemeanors that could result in up to a year in jail. It’s a novel approach ordered by Abbott to allow state and local law enforcement officers to arrest immigrants for state crimes, since they have no jurisdictional power to arrest someone accused of the federal crime of crossing the border illegally.

“If you cross the river, and almost everyone down there has posted ‘no trespassing’ signs, so once you cross and get on the property, you will be picked up and taken to jail for trespassing,” Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens said last week.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/texas-prison-immigrant-jail-briscoe/

[msongs]

1. unconstitutional. immigration and the border issues are a federal matter nt

[Darwins_Retriever]

2. That is why they aren't charging them with anything dealing with Fed'l law

Trespass is a local and state charge. And they can arrest them for that.