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El Paso commissioners adopt resolution demanding transparency in detentions after public reports of ICE actions at courthouse
Summary
The El Paso County Commissioners Court on June 23 unanimously approved a resolution calling for clear, timely notification and visible identification by agencies that detain people in the county, after multiple public speakers described masked agents detaining asylum seekers near federal hearings.
El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday unanimously approved a resolution urging all local governments to uphold “the American principles of fairness, justice, human dignity, and due process” and to require transparency from any agency that detains or transports people within the county.
The resolution, introduced by Commissioner David Stout and seconded by County Judge Ruben Samaniego, requires “timely and transparent notification detailing who was taken, under what authority, where they were transported, and why such actions were undertaken,” and calls on other Texas counties and cities to adopt similar measures.
Supporters said the resolution responds to repeated, on‑the‑ground reports and volunteer observations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained people leaving federal immigration hearings at the federal courthouse in downtown El Paso. Sandra Jones, a deacon at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, described watching agents who she said were masked and “unidentifiable” and said she had seen detainees escorted to a freight elevator and taken away. Jones said: “I stand in support of resolution 5 f.”
Several other witnesses described similar scenes. Attorney Linda Chu summarized a case in which a federal judge later granted habeas corpus relief and said, “for the first time in my life ... I was scared. I was frightened in my own country of my own government.” Anna Reza, a chaplain with the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, told the court she had seen an 18‑year‑old separated from her mother and described families in tears. Social worker Angelica Rodriguez urged sustained, visible community presence at the courthouse and said: “What dream are we giving them?”
The resolution cites federal constitutional protections and court decisions discussed during the meeting, including Plyler v. Doe (1982) and other U.S. Supreme Court precedent referenced in the text. It also requests that any individuals involved in custody or transport wear visible identification and that face coverings be used only for medical reasons so officials can be clearly identified.
Commissioner Stout introduced the resolution after several weeks of community testimony outside the federal courthouse; Stout told the court that volunteers and attorneys had observed agents taking people away immediately after judges dismissed or continued immigration cases. Judge Samaniego framed the measure as a guard against unchecked government power and urged other jurisdictions to adopt similar language.
The motion to adopt the resolution passed unanimously. After the vote the court thanked the witnesses and invited continued community monitoring and follow up with county staff and legal counsel about implementation and intergovernmental coordination.
The court also permitted public comment on related immigration and civil‑rights concerns during the same meeting; those remarks are part of the public record for the June 23 session.
