A Texas grand jury on Tuesday ruled that more than 140 migrants had been detained on offense violence charges based on an alleged mass attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
No injuries were reported for the alleged violation on April 12 in El Paso, which authorities claim started when a member of the group cut through a razor wire challenge. A separate incident in the Texas border town in March even sparked a large number of detention.
A state judge on Monday ruled there was insufficient possible cause and tossed the charges against those who were detained this fortnight. There was not enough information, according to a public defender representing the refugees who had accused the authorities of trying to get attention.
El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks stated to reporters on Tuesday that the people of El Paso largely overturned the judge’s decision and found possible cause to believe that the protests actually took place.
Kelli Childress- Diaz, the El Paso Public Defender who is representing the 141 accused, said she was n’t surprised.
She said,” I believe they already had that prepared before the reading also started yesterday.”
The detention have drawn more attention to Texas ‘ expanding activities along the frontier, where , Republican Gov. Greg Abbott , has rolled out a series of aggressive actions in the name of curbing improper intersections. Abbott responded to the detention in March by saying he had sent 700 more National Guard personnel to El Paso.
Hicks, whom Abbott , appointed to the job , in 2022, said that although it is not typical for a grand jurors to prosecute criminal circumstances, he felt it was “fair” to create the circumstances before them. Hicks estimated that they had arrested over 350 people on violence claims overall since March.
If convicted, those charged could each face up to 180 days in county jail and a fine of up to$ 2, 000. Hicks claimed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may also pick up those who are in jail on an unlawful entry offense. They are also facing federal charges.
Childress-Diaz told The Associated Press,” It makes my stomach that these people are nothing more than political coins in a bet that some of our government officials have hedged.”
