1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Late last week, there was reporting on an important story, one that should be topping every news cycle, but doesn’t seem to be. We just found out that, on the Trump administration’s watch, a DHS agent shot and killed an American citizen living in Texas during a traffic stop last March. This predated the far more publicized killing of citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. According to the report, it was only released as part of a FOIA request. This makes 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez now the earliest known shooting by federal agents associated with the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy. And we’re only finding out about it now. There is of course an official report filed by the government. But there’s the problem of this government consistently lying so often that it’s hard to know when (if) it might be telling the truth. And the fact that this report was concealed for so long doesn’t do anything to dispel public suspicion of their intent to conceal. There was some reporting of his death at the time it happened, but federal and state officials failed to disclose that ICE agents were involved. Regardless of what comes out in the investigative wash, another American citizen is dead. A Texas constituent is dead. So why has there been no outrage, or even any public acknowledgement of his death by his senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz? Is outrage only required if something shows up in the media that forces a reaction? Or is it something deeper and darker at work? Like driving while brown these days really is a crime regardless of your citizenship? And not particularly newsworthy or even worthy of notice because there are no crowds in the streets protesting the death? Texas has become an immigration gulag for the federal government. There are ongoing reports of deaths at immigration detention facilities, even as the government is reportedly ramping up to literally warehouse human beings, including children, in actual warehouses. Using our taxpayer dollars. The Texas Tribune, a paper that still does independent journalism, has a report calling out horrific conditions in Texas prisons, including the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos. The official report says he tried to hang himself. The medical examiner ruled it a homicide, and a witness allegedly backs that up. There have been six deaths in six weeks at ICE-run facilities in Texas. That we know about. I’m ashamed of the leadership in Texas, and DC, that is okay with this situation. It is shameful beyond belief. And exposes a level of callousness and cruelty that would not be expected in people who claim to be good Christians. At least in their words. Not so much in their actions.