As the leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State, we at the ACLU of Texas believe it is our duty to keep the public informed about the state of their civil liberties. The work we do at the legislature, in the courts, and in our communities is important, but there is no better defender of civil rights than a public that is informed and engaged.
We live in a proud community where English isn’t always the language spoken. Our families, culture, food, and livelihoods are all shaped by our binational culture in El Paso, our relationship to the border and our neighbors in Chihuahua.
A silver-haired man, 59 years young, Roman Vazquez doesn’t remember much about living in Mexico. It’s hard to remember because he’s lived in the U.S. for so long, more than 30 years, in Texas for 18 of those years.
This piece was originally published in the El Paso Times.
As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to become a death sentence for people trapped in prisons and jails across the U.S., the actions — or inaction — of prosecutors to decarcerate have had a tangible life or death impact.
From the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, it was clear that the impact on people living and working in jails and prisons was potentially catastrophic.
In the past week, unidentified federal officers in camouflage fatigues, labeled only “police,” abducted people off the streets of Portland in unmarked vehicles and threatened the “Wall of