livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
Texas state troopers arrest thousands of migrants crossing the border. Critics call it unconstitutional.
Ivan Nava and David Muñoz, friends from Guerrero, Mexico, crossed into the USA together in June without permission. They hoped to connect with relatives, find jobs and map out better lives for their families back in Mexico.Instead, they sat in a Texas prison for seven weeks, unclear as to the charges against them or what awaited them.
They are two of thousands of migrants who crossed into Texas from Mexico this year without proper documentation and were rounded up as part of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s initiative to use state troopers and National Guard soldiers to help bolster federal immigration enforcement.
Tuesday, a Texas district court judge dismissed the charges of criminal trespassing against Nava and Muñoz after prosecutors were unprepared to present probable cause in the case. Advocates hailed it as a major victory against Operation Lone Star, which they allege is unconstitutional and flouts federal laws. Supporters of the policy claim it’s Abbott’s right to stop undocumented migrants from streaming into Texas if the federal government fails at the task.