Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProfessionalPublica verify that federal authorities are probing discrimination claims.
TEXAS, USA — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating alleged civil rights violations below Operation Lone Star, in keeping with state records obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProfessionalPublica.
The Tribune reports that final yr, the Texas Legislature directed greater than $3 billion to frame safety measures over the subsequent two years, the majority of which has gone to Operation Lone Star.Â
Under the initiative, Texas has constructed some fencing and deployed greater than 10,000 National Guard members and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers to the Texas-Mexico order. In addition, “thousands of immigrant men seeking to enter the country have been arrested for trespassing onto private property, and some have been kept in jail for weeks without charges being filed,” the Tribune stories.
The Tribune stories that since Operation Lone Star’s launch, plenty of news organizations have outlined issues with “state leaders’ claims of success, the treatment of National Guard members and alleged civil rights violations.”
Now it appears the DOJ is trying into these potential violations.
While a DOJ spokesperson told the Tribune that she couldn’t “comment on the existence or lack thereof of any potential investigation or case on any matter not otherwise a part of the public court record,” not less than two Texas businesses concerned in finishing up Operation Lone Star have pointed to a DOJ investigation in records obtained by the Tribune and ProPublica.
The Tribune notes that in an inside e-mail in May, DPS officers mentioned the DOJ was searching for to overview whether or not the border initiative violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the premise of race, shade or nationwide origin by establishments receiving federal funding.
Additionally, the Tribune notes that in a letter despatched on July 1 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) additionally cited a “formal investigation” of Operation Lone Star by the DOJ. The TDCJ pointed to the investigation whereas “fighting the release of public records sought by the news organizations,” the Tribune stories.
None of the businesses have publicly launched information associated to the DOJ’s requests, in keeping with the Tribune.
This will not be the primary federal investigation into Operation Lone Star this yr. Back in May, the U.S. Treasury Department opened an investigation into Gov. Greg Abbott’s use of COVID-19 aid {dollars} to help border safety initiatives.
To be taught extra, read the Tribune’s full report.
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