A Texas judge has thrown out 60 cases against immigrants linked to an alleged border riot, where migrants breached razor wire in El Paso on April 12. The migrants were facing misdemeanor charges for rioting.
County Court of Law Judge Ruben Morales dismissed the cases of 59 immigrants, citing lack of jurisdiction.
Bill Hicks, a representative in El Paso, plans to appeal the court’s decision, calling it “erroneous.”
Under Governor Greg Abbott‘s Operation Lone Star to curb illegal border crossings, troops detained around 200 migrants. However, most cases were dismissed, with plans to appeal the decisions.
Hicks mentioned at a news conference that the appeals process might be lengthy, but they hope the Court of Appeals will overrule Judge Morales’s decisions.
El Paso Public Defender Kelli Childress Diaz, who represents most migrants in the county, believes the appeals are draining justice system resources needlessly.
Despite facing up to 180 days in prison after spending over 60 days awaiting trial, Hicks’s office offers plea agreements for time served plus one additional day. However, migrants represented by Childress Diaz have rejected these offers.
Childress Diaz highlights that the decision to accept a plea deal lies with the client, who may be hesitant to admit guilt, a common concern seen among criminal cases.