By Kimberly James; WBAP and KLIF News, Dallas, Texas.
FORT WORTH – (WBAP/KLIF) – Catholic Charities in Fort Worth has sent employees email, instructing them to be watchful and vigilant about security, after state District Judge Fransisco Dominguez chided the Texas Attorney General’s office for its actions challenged by Dominguez as appearing bent toward shutting the migrant and poor aid agency down for political reasons.
Fort Worth based Catholic Charities asks employees to call police if they see anyone videotaping the outside of its building or on campus grounds, and to guard against anyone trying to enter the building without authorization.
Monday, State District Judge Dominguez dressed down the Texas office of the Attorney General for appearing to push a politically-motivated shutdown of the Catholic-supported Annunication House of El Paso. The comments by Dominguez come as Annunication House, in court, questioned the legality of the state Attorney General’s office in forcing it to turn over extensive records, within 24 hours, on the migrants Annunication House has helped, in what way, as well as detailed information about the aid agency’s director. The Attorney General’s office told Annunication House it is investigating whether the Catholic-supported agency is operating migrant “stash houses,” and engaging in activities that encourage illegal immigration.
“Stash house” is a term generally used to describe cartel-run human smuggling ring operation of small shelters or houses, holding groups of migrants against their will, forcing turnover of their identity documents and phones, often demanding additional money for their release. If the money is not raised, any number of things may happen to the stash house migrants, including servitude work until the additional and sudden “debt” is paid off. Alternatively, a “stash house” may be a midpoint in a migrant group’s journey as human smugglers move them to other destinations.
For fifty years in El Paso, Annunication House has been offering shelter and food to El Paso’s poor, and additionally now, the same help to migrants, as well as legal advice and help in completing U.S. federal government legal and other paperwork requirements for migrants claiming asylum or their other concerns bringing them to the United States.
(Copyright, All Rights Reserved, WBAP/KLIF 2024)