Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore is aiming to protect victims and witnesses of crime who may be subject to deportation amid the state and federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Such individuals will soon receive a letter from the D.A.’s office that requests federal immigration officials notify the office in the event that a witness or victim is taken into custody for a possible deportation proceeding. The move is an “effort to secure the appearance and cooperation” from those involved in pending criminal cases, said Moore. The D.A. is in talks with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but there’s no guarantee or hard commitment from ICE that the letters will halt deportations, as the feds will be looking at each situation case-by-case. Nevertheless, Moore hopes the notices will at least force ICE to examine these cases more carefully. The first two letters will be issued by the end of the week, according to the office.
This article appears in May 26 • 2017.