On Tuesday, a coalition of Travis County staff appeared before the Commissioners Court requesting funding for a derelict section of plumbing in the Travis County Jail. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office and Travis County Planning and Budget Office requested $150,000 for an “engineering assessment” of the scope of work necessary to repair the jail’s plumbing […]
Sheriff Sally Hernandez
Posted inPublic Safety
Virtual proceedings lead to harmful outcomes for inmates in Austin’s jails, advocates say
During talks about a program that provides counsel at first court appearance, Bradley Hargis with Capital Area Private Defender Service shared the experience of a former client. The person had been charged and processed with a felony, and faced a multi-thousand-dollar bond. But Hargis and his team discovered that the felony had been dismissed and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County jail treads carefully amid coronavirus
In big city jails across Texas, both inmates and corrections officers are testing positive for the coronavirus. The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that Covid-19 infections continue to rise in the Harris County jail, with 65 employees and 49 inmates testing positive for the virus. In the Dallas County jail, 31 inmates have tested positive, according […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County sheriff responds to community outcry after ‘sanctuary’ policy reversal
At a town hall meeting on Monday organized by the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez faced a crowd of immigrant rights advocates, service providers and undocumented community members, many of whom expressed disbelief at her Sept. 25 decision to back down from her tenacious policy to reduce compliance with federal immigration […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Here’s what we learned about requests from ICE to pick up Travis County inmates
Drunken driving. Property theft. Possession of a controlled substance. These are some of the crimes for which the Travis County Sheriff’s Office did not honor requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain suspected undocumented immigrants past their sentences or dispositions. Records obtained by KUT News show that while Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s policy regarding […]
Posted inAustin
Adler: Challenge to state’s sanctuary cities law ‘almost a certainty’
The state’s proposed sanctuary cities legislation faces an almost certain and likely quick challenge in court, Mayor Steve Adler said Wednesday after returning from his trip to Washington, D.C., to discuss the issue with federal law enforcement officials. The Texas House of Representatives’ debate late into Wednesday ahead of a vote on its version of […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County explores ways to overcome funding cuts
Travis County raised nearly $90,000 as of Monday afternoon through an online initiative set up after Gov. Greg Abbott cut $1.5 million in grant funding over Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s new immigration policy. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) launched the fundraising site Friday in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation. “It was really quite spontaneous, and […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Updated: ‘Sanctuary City’ bill clears senate committee after 16 hours of public testimony
Texas lawmakers heard hours of public testimony Thursday and into early Friday morning over a bill banning so-called “sanctuary cities” in Texas, ultimately voting early this morning 7-2 -along party lines to send the bill to the full Senate Texas lawmakers heard hours of public testimony Thursday over a bill banning so-called “sanctuary cities” in […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Eckhardt on Abbott’s cuts: “It’s retribution”
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt is offering unequivocal support for Sheriff Sally Hernandez in the face of costly punishment meted out by Gov. Greg Abbott in response to Hernandez’s new policies regarding immigration enforcement. “We have done an extensive review of those policies, and it is plain that under current federal and state law, the sheriff’s […]
Posted inTravis County
Advocates, lawyers and immigrants respond to ‘sanctuary city’ threats
In response to promises from state and federal governments to knock out so-called “sanctuary cities” Wednesday, roughly 30 people crowded atop a rickety podium to announce their support of Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s immigration policy. At the local headquarters of the Workers Defense Project, they held signs reading, “We are here to stay” and […]
Posted inTravis County
New sheriff defiantly reverses course on ICE cooperation
Travis County’s brand new Sheriff Sally Hernandez has thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of President Donald Trump. Late Friday afternoon, Hernandez officially announced, effective Feb. 1, the end of her office’s cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities when it comes to detaining suspected undocumented immigrants. “This office will not increase our […]