June 20, 2006

The ACLU of Texas released documents obtained through a public records request that show the El Paso County Sheriff's Department actively searching for undocumented immigrants.  The sheriff has in the past claimed they were only enforcing Texas law and not federal immigration law. 

Much controversy has surrounded Operation Linebacker, a program funded by the federal Byrne grant and administered through Governor Rick Perry's office.  Created by the Texas Border Sheriffs Coaltion, Operation Linebacker is supposed to provide more people-power and specialized equipment to the sheriff's departments in 16 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

In reality, Operation Linebacker has terrorized the communities where El Paso County sheriff's deputies have set up roadblocks, engaged in racial profiling, and entered private residences without search warrants.  The actions of the sheriff's department has resulted in community members afraid to walk their children to school, attend church, and report domestic violence and other criminal activity to local law enforcement.

Sheriff's department claims: 

• "We're not doing anything illegal. I'd put my foot down if we were doing something not law abiding and that is not allowed by every agency in the U.S." says Sheriff Leo Samaniego, El Paso County (Sheriff).  "State Leader Questions Money Spent By El Paso County Sheriff's Office," KTSM-TV, May 22, 2006.
• "We are not involved in immigration law. We are here strictly trying to enforce Texas law," said Rick Glancey, spokesperson for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and Interim Director of the Texas Boder Sheriff's Coaltion. "Sheriff's Office Facing Lawsuit," KFOXTV, May 26, 2006.

Included in the documents are the following:

• An e-mail correspondence shows sheriff's deputies actively searching for individuals allegedly in violation of federal immigration law who committed no violation of Texas law.  The e-mail from April 28th describes a series of incidents that occurred late in the night on April 27th and continued into the early hours of April 28th.  An individual who was previously arrested by sheriff's deputies called in a report of undocumented immigrants and sheriff's deputies spent the next few hours pretending they were federal immigration officers.
• At 1:00 a.m., sheriff's deputies went to a private residence and knocked on the door.  The individual inside the house refused to open the door and the e-mail claims that they found an open rear door.  The deputies entered the house without a warrant and found 3 undocumented immigrants inside.  They then went to a hotel and knocked on doors until they found more undocumented immigrants. 
• An internal report dated March 22, 2006 claims that the El Paso County Sheriff's Department intercepted 653 undocumented persons between January 15 and March 21, 2006.  The document states, "When the number of apprehension (sic) is compared to monies spent, each apprehension costs about $200 dollars, an excellent return on monies spent."
• The monthly reports focus on how many undocumented men, women, and/or children intercepted as being the main output measure. 
• A grant budget form shows an Executive Director position being allocated $120,000.  A hefty sum that gives an indication of why the El Paso County Sheriff Departments spokesman, who is also the interim Executive Director of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition, continuously denied any wrongdoing. 

These documents reveal what the community has long known; that the primary focus of Operation Linebacker has been the enforcement of federal immigration law.  El Paso County is a prime example of what happens when local law enforcement attempts to enforce federal government law.  Communities become terrified as the law enforcement officers who are supposed to protect them engage in baseless searches that violate the Fourth Amendment and create fear and division between community members and law enforcement. 

Contact:  Ray Ybarra,  (915)-383-9976.