Shocking video sheds light on mass migrant magistration under Governor Abbott’s racist Operation Lonestar
Texas advocacy groups warn the process is rife with constitutional violations, such as misleading migrants into waiving their right to an attorney
Bracketville, Texas – Thursday night, Grassroots Leadership released a video shared by the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office showing mass magistration outside in a parking lot for migrants arrested and charged with criminal trespass under Governor Abbott’s Operation Lonestar. Through this operation, law enforcement officers are encouraging ranchers to file criminal charges against migrants. Migrants charged are currently held in Briscoe Unit, a Texas state jail recently cleared by Governor Abbott’s orders in order to incarcerate migrants pretrial.
Advocacy groups are extremely alarmed by reports that individuals arrested in Kinney County have been misled in quasi-legal proceedings into waiving their Constitutional rights to court-appointed legal representation. As of today, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission—the state entity charged with ensuring that indigent clients have access to court-appointed quality legal representation—has not intervened to stop this blatant violation of constitutional rights in Kinney County.
Katy Dyer, a clinical professor with the University of Texas School of Law, was one of the first attorneys to witness the group magistrations, where proper procedures were being skimmed over in favor of efficiency. “There are currently more than 300 migrants jailed at Briscoe Unit, and at least 150 do not have legal representation. Local officials in Kinney County are conducting quick, incomplete proceedings that lead to confusion and misunderstanding of constitutional rights. Many migrants are signing pre-filled forms declining to request an attorney without being able to read the forms in a language they understand. Some migrants have been without representation for over three weeks now.”
Carolina Canizales from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center: “Anti-immigrant and racist Texas officials continue to show complete disregard for human rights, as this video shows. The only ones benefiting in this situation are the cruel prison system and Abbott's political agenda. How many more bad actions does Texas need to do before the Biden-Harris Administration steps in to provide much needed relief to migrants and all those suffering from this cruelty?”
Amanda Woog, Executive Director for the Texas Fair Defense Project: “The everyday cruelty of the Texas criminal legal system is now being unleashed on migrants through Operation Lone Star. People are being denied their right to counsel, set unaffordable bail, and are targeted because of the color of their skin and their national origin. This is a cynical ploy by Governor Abbott and the state and local officials that are enabling him, and we are prepared to fight back.”
Jorge Renaud, National Criminal Justice Director for LatinoJustice PRLDEF
“The entire operation is lawless, unconstitutional, inhumane, and ripped from Trump’s playbook of demonizing brown and black communities for political advancement.”
Advocate organizations are urging state and county officials to drop all charges and end Operation Lonestar immediately.
The full video can be found here.
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Grassroots Leadership is an Austin, Texas-based national organization that works for a more just society where prison profiteering, mass incarceration, deportation, and criminalization are things of the past. Follow us @Grassroots_News.
