Harris, Hidalgo counties top May list of inmates with immigration detainers in Texas county jails

Harris, Hidalgo and Travis County jails together accounted for 39% of the inmates with immigration detainers housed in Texas County jails for the month of May 2019, reported the Texas Commission On Jail Standards.

In its report dated July 18, 2019 4728 inmates with immigration detainers were housed for a total count of 101,124 inmate days in Texas County jails for the month of May. Topping the list of county jails housing the most inmates with immigration detainers were Harris, Hidalgo and Travis counties with 976, 544 and 343 inmates respectively.

Harris, Dallas and Hidalgo counties were the top three counties with 1095, 862 and 569 inmates respectively on the April  2019 report.

As noted in the report, Texas Senate Bill 1698 authored by former State Senator Tommy Williams became law following the 82nd regular session. SB 1698 mandated the reporting of the total number of inmates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers housed in jails under the Commission’s purview as part of the monthly population report.

The complete list of Texas county jails, number of inmates with ICE detainers and number of inmate days for the month of May 2019 can be found here. 

Texas Immigration Attorney Arrested for Bribery

From the U.S. Attorneys Office, Southern District of Texas

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Federal authorities have arrested a Weslaco attorney following the return of an indictment alleging conspiracy and bribery involving immigration detention employees, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.   

Today, law enforcement took Roel Alaniz, 39, of Weslaco, into custody. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III tomorrow at 10:00.

The seven-count indictment, returned yesterday, alleges he obtained “alien detainee roster lists” from immigration detention employees who received cash payments in return.

In May 2019, a federal grand jury also indicted Benito Barrientez, 42, of Lyford, Damian Ortiz, 30, of Weslaco, and Exy Adelaida Gomez, 42, of Los Fresnos. Barrientez and Ortiz were employed at the Willacy County Regional Detention Center, while Gomez was employed at the El Valle Detention Center. Both facilities are located in Raymondville. (read the rest here)

ICE News Release: Former South Texas police officer sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking

MCALLEN, Texas — A former South Texas police officer was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in federal prison following his cocaine-trafficking conviction in March.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick, Southern District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

“This sentence serves as a sobering reminder about the serious consequences for those who violate the public’s trust,” said Shane Folden, special agent in charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI San Antonio. “HSI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to target and investigate those who exploit their positions for financial gain.”

On July 18, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Geovani Hernandez, 45, from Weslaco, Texas, to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted the evidence against Hernandez was overwhelming. In imposing the sentence, the court ruled Hernandez abused his position of trust to facilitate the drug trafficking offense and obstructed justice when he attempted to intimidate both the case agent and confidential informant to prevent them from testifying at trial. Hernandez was convicted March 7 on two counts of aiding and abetting and attempting to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. (read the rest here) 

Harris, Dallas counties top list of inmates with immigration detainers in Texas county jails

Harris and Dallas County jails together accounted for 34% of the inmates with immigration detainers housed in Texas County jails for the month of April 2019, reported the Texas Commission On Jail Standards.

In its report dated May 16, 2019 5,742 inmates with immigration detainers were housed for a total count of 113,917 inmate days in Texas County jails for the month. Topping the list of county jails housing the most inmates with immigration detainers were Harris, Dallas and Hidalgo counties with 1095, 862 and 569 inmates respectively.

As noted in the report, Texas Senate Bill 1698 authored by former State Senator Tommy Williams became law following the 82nd regular session. SB 1698 mandated the reporting of the total number of inmates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers housed in jails under the Commission’s purview as part of the monthly population report.

The complete list of Texas county jails, number of inmates with ICE detainers and number of inmate days can be found here.