Rob Salinas/Houston Public Media
Local activists are planning to host a rally Friday night in response to recent federal immigration enforcement in Houston, particularly at immigration courts.
Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of civil rights organization FIEL Houston, said during an interview on Houston Matters that the group is planning to protest outside of the CoreCivic federal detention center. The protest is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Friday at 15850 Export Plaza Dr. in Houston.
“We’re asking for people to come out and to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully,” Espinosa said. “At the end of the day, we as an institution don’t condone violence and we want to make sure that our membership and people that trust us go home at the end of the night safely and peacefully.”
On Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained at least two men at an immigration court in southwest Houston — shortly after their cases were administratively closed, according to Espinosa. The federal agency has continued to take people into custody at the immigration court throughout the week, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“What we have been seeing is a ramp-up of immigration presence all over the greater Houston area,” Espinosa said. “We have seen more and more reports of folks seeing them in neighborhoods or in parking lots getting ready for operations.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to limit immigration to the U.S. and expedite deportations of those in the country without legal status. Recently, his administration has directed federal attorneys to request that judges dismiss immigration cases, clearing the way for people whose cases have been dropped to be detained immediately thereafter.
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ICE did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. An agency spokesperson told Houston Public Media on Monday that its “officers and agents seek to conduct enforcement actions at an alternate location when practicable, however when no other location is feasible or when the alternate location increases the risk to public safety or the safety of our officers, ICE will seek to effectuate the arrest in the location that is least likely to endanger anyone’s safety.”
Immigration rights advocates told Houston Matters that many of the people being detained at immigration courthouses are there without an attorney.
“Basically, the ones who end up going in person usually are the ones who don’t have an attorney already putting their name on the case,” immigration attorney Ruby Powers said.
The recent enforcement actions have sparked demonstrations across the country and in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed Texas National Guard troops across the state ahead of protests planned for Saturday in the Houston area and cities across the state and country.
Local law enforcement agencies are also preparing for crowds ahead of the “No Kings” protests. The protests – which are in response to the Trump administration’s policies – will take place on the president’s birthday and coincide with a military parade in Washington.
