Residents and local officials gathered on the steps of the Hays County Courthouse on Thursday to demand answers about an immigration raid in April. Federal agencies said the raid targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, but officials said they haven’t seen any evidence of that.
For months, advocates and Hays County officials have been looking for answers. At the news conference Thursday, officials said they haven’t received clear communication about the over 40 people who were taken, why and where they are now.
“We are gathered here today to urge you to keep pushing for transparency, to keep pushing for answers,� Karen Muñoz, associate counsel with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said to the crowd. “We ask that you not forget about the 49 people who were detained.�
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra asked for transparency from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and state and federal law enforcement agencies.
“ They told us this was about keeping America safe. Safe from who? The busboy? The mom who cleans hotel rooms? The kid who's never been back to the country they were born at?�Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra
“ I am the highest local elected official. After me, you're going to the Capitol,� he said. “I know no names of who was taken, where they were taken or why.�
In response to immigration raids across the country, Becerra presented a resolution calling for the “humane treatment of immigrants� at a Hays County Commissioners Court meeting last month. Members unanimously passed the resolution, which states authorities must provide timely and transparent information about who was taken, under what authority, where they were transported and why. It also urges law enforcement officers to be identifiable at all times and says officers must wear name tags and cameras.
“ They told us this was about keeping America safe,� Becerra said. “Safe from who? The busboy? The mom who cleans hotel rooms? The kid who's never been back to the country they were born at?�
He said, for him, this is personal.
“I have the duty to represent and defend these community members, not only because I look like them, but because I am them,� Becerra said. “You don't have to roll the clock back too far, and I'm being hunted.�
Lilly Ann Ortiz, a volunteer with Austin Sanctuary Network, said families of those affected by the raid have turned to the organization for help. She read a statement on their behalf.
“ Our families deserve answers for why they were taken away. We don't know where they are, where they are being detained, and when we ask for those answers, we are told no one can help us," it read. "Many of us are fleeing those same gangs they're accusing us of being in. Some of us are fleeing government kidnappings only to come here and suffer the same fate. Please, we deserve answers."
Congressman Greg Casar, who represents a district that includes Hays County, issued a joint statement with Congressman Joaquin Castro of San Antonio on Thursday demanding transparency from ICE on the Dripping Springs raid.
They encouraged anyone facing challenges with the federal government to contact them.
