🚨 Human Rights Groups Demand Closure of Fort Bliss Migrant Facility Over Abuse Claims
🚫 Trump Administration Cuts Federal Funds to South Texas Migrant Shelter ⚖️ Wisconsin Judge Faces Trial for Allegedly Aiding Undocumented Immigrant’s Escape
🚫 Trump Administration Cuts Federal Funds to South Texas Migrant Shelter
Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune.- The Trump administration has suspended all federal funding to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV), a key migrant shelter in McAllen led by Sister Norma Pimentel, citing alleged grant violations. The Department of Homeland Security said an audit uncovered inconsistent migrant records and nearly 250 instances of improper fund use beyond the 45-day limit for assisting released migrants. The shelter — which has served over 500,000 people since 2014 — provides food, clothing, and temporary rest for migrants released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Pimentel, recognized globally for her humanitarian work, denied wrongdoing and pledged to restore eligibility for federal aid. The freeze follows a Republican-led congressional investigation targeting faith-based groups accused of aiding migrants. Critics say the move is part of Trump’s escalating campaign to punish organizations that provide humanitarian assistance along the U.S.-Mexico border.
🚨 Human Rights Groups Demand Closure of Fort Bliss Migrant Facility Over Abuse Claims
El Paso Matters and The Texas Tribune.- Human rights groups, including the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, have accused U.S. immigration officers of abusing and coercing detainees at Camp East Montana, the massive detention facility at Fort Bliss, Texas. A 19-page letter to ICE alleges beatings, sexual assaults, medical neglect, hunger, and denial of legal counsel, describing the site as a “human and civil rights catastrophe.” The groups claim officers forced non-Mexican migrants to cross into Mexico under threat of imprisonment in third countries like El Salvador or African nations. In one case, a Cuban detainee said guards beat and sexually assaulted him before ordering him to “jump” into Mexico. The facility — already cited for over 60 federal violations — houses 2,700 people and could expand to 5,000 under Trump’s plan to double national detention capacity. DHS denies the abuse, calling the reports “categorically false.”
⚖️ Wisconsin Judge Faces Trial for Allegedly Aiding Undocumented Immigrant’s Escape
Julie Bosman and Dan Simmons, The New York Times.- The federal trial of Judge Hannah C. Dugan begins this week in Milwaukee, where she faces charges of obstructing federal proceedings and concealing an undocumented immigrant. Prosecutors allege that Dugan directed Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing domestic battery charges, to exit her courtroom through a side door to avoid ICE agents waiting outside. Dugan, who has pleaded not guilty, could face up to six years in prison if convicted. The case has polarized Wisconsin, with supporters calling it a political prosecution by the Trump administration and critics accusing her of defying the law. The trial will feature testimony from multiple federal agents and local officials, including former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Demonstrations supporting Dugan continue outside the courthouse as the Trump administration signals the case will serve as a warning to judges who resist immigration enforcement.