Texas Judge Blocks Deposition of NGO That Aids Illegal Immigrants

A Texas judge has blocked the state’s attempts to compel a deposition from a representative of a charity that aids illegal immigrants who cross the Texas-Mexico border.

On July 24, District Judge J.R. Flores ruled in favor of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV), which pushed back against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to gather information under oath.

The attorney general’s office is investigating several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the state to determine if they broke the law by how they assisted illegal immigrants crossing into Texas.

NGOs have traditionally offered humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants, but Mr. Abbott and other Republicans have questioned whether some organizations have crossed the line into “unlawfully orchestrating” border crossings.

It was the second ruling this month in favor of NGOs that assist immigrants who have unlawfully crossed the southern border. The attorney general’s office could shut down the NGOs if it can prove they broke the law.

So far, the state’s probe includes CCRGV, Team Brownsville Inc., and Annunciation House. All of these groups have denied any wrongdoing.

The attorney for CCRGV, and the attorneys for the Texas Civil Rights Project, representing Team Brownsville, did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

The investigations began as an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants crossed the southern border. Millions of federal tax dollars have been awarded to NGOs helping illegal immigrants.

‘Fishing Expedition’

On July 17, attorneys for CCRGV argued the state’s request for a deposition was not warranted, responding in court documents that the state was on a “fishing expedition into a pond where no one has ever seen a fish.”

David Garza, a Brownsville attorney representing CCRGV, said the state failed to prove a deposition was necessary, according to court documents obtained by The Epoch Times.

CCRGV attorneys said the group had already turned over more than 100 pages of documents to state investigators.

“The Attorney General’s investigation of CCRGV is based solely on CCRGV’s religiously motivated provision of charitable services to asylum seekers, which do not violate any law,” Mr. Garza wrote.

CCRGV is one of the more prominent NGOs operating on the Texas border. During surges in unlawful crossings, it provides shelter and food for up to 2,000 people a day.

In May, Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of CCRGV, gave a sworn statement detailing aid for illegal immigrants in hopes of avoiding a formal deposition.

The NGO’s Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen is for illegal immigrants released by Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, she stated.

CCRGV contacts the sponsors of the illegal immigrants to arrange travel to their final destination, according to her statement.

“While they wait for their bus or flight tickets to be purchased by their sponsor, asylum seekers are provided with warm meals, water, warm shower, and medical care if needed,” she wrote.

Security and staff are paid through grants from the federal government’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to her statement.

The attorney general’s first setback occurred July 1, when a district judge in El Paso, Texas, dismissed the state lawsuit seeking to close Annunciation House, a Catholic NGO, over allegations it was facilitating illegal immigration.

‘Outrageous and Intolerable’

District Judge Francisco X. Dominguez called the state’s accusation that the shelter encourages illegal immigrants to enter the country “outrageous and intolerable,” according to court documents.

Judge Dominguez ruled that Mr. Paxton’s attempts to enforce a subpoena for records of illegal immigrants aided by Annunciation House in the last few years violated the shelter’s constitutional rights.

Because Annunciation House allegedly provided shelter to individuals regardless of their legal status, Mr. Paxton asserted in a press release that the NGO was facilitating illegal immigration and human smuggling and operating a stash house for illegal immigrants.

Mr. Paxton vowed to appeal Judge Dominguez’s ruling.

The attorney general’s office is also attempting to depose a representative of Team Brownsville in Travis County, according to court records.

The state claims the NGO’s border operation is “assisting immigrants seeking to enter the United States” and questioned Team Brownsville’s use of grant money in Mexico.

Team Brownsville performs work in Mexico and has been a part of U.S. and Mexican NGO efforts to provide humanitarian support for individuals crossing the border, according to court documents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.