Chody Blasted For Inaction On Detention Site Sexual Abuse Claims

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody is under fire from immigrant advocates for not taking an active role in investigating reports of sexual abuse at a detention facility in his jurisdiction housing undocumented women.

On Monday morning, advocates gathered outside his office to denounce his agency's failure to conduct an investigation after outcries of sexual assault from the Hutto detention center where women have filed formal complaints. The gathering comprised community members, volunteers with Grassroots Leadership’s Hutto Visitation Program, and immigrant advocates concerned by sexual assault in detention, according to organizers.

Early last month, officials at Austin-based Grassroots Leadership, an immigrant advocate group, received a letter from inside the T. Don Hutto immigrant detention center in Taylor, Texas, from Laura Monterrosa, a 23-year-old immigrant being held at the facility by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials given her undocumented status. In it, she described suffering systematic sexual abuse at the hands of a guard at the facility.

Related story: Sexual Abuse Claims Emerge From Hutto Immigrant Detention Site

Located in Williamson County, the T. Don Hutto Residential Center is a guarded, fenced-in, multi-purpose center currently used to detain non-US citizens awaiting the outcome of their immigration status cases. The privately run facility operated at the behest of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is located at 1001 Welch St.

Since Monterrosa's complaint, others detained in the facility — which critics say is tantamount to a prison despite its "residential center" label to its formal name — have come forward with similar accusations.

“Laura has a whole community behind her asking for release because we know that women who are victims of sexual abuse should be believed, not retaliated against,” Claudia Muñoz, immigration programs director at Grassroots Leadership said.

Added Sulma Franco, organizer with the Austin Sanctuary Network: “This has been going on for a long time, since I was detained in 2009. The only thing that has changed is Laura’s courage to speak up while she is still detained.”

Typically a prolific issuer of press releases highlighting his crime-fighting mission, Chody has been uncharacteristically mum on addressing the allegations emanating from the immigrant detention facility located in his jurisdiction. Patch has left previous messages with his office seeking comment, but Chody has failed to respond.

Critics point to a lucrative agreement the facility's operators have with the county — which has reaped millions of dollars over the years in financial outlays for allowing the facility to operate within their jurisdiction — as a reason from county officials' silence on the matter.

Meanwhile, Grassroots Leadership officials say, Monterrosa has remained incarcerated at Hutto center with her abuser where she has received no communication from Williamson County about the progress of the investigation. “I need justice,” she said to a staff member of Grassroots Leadership as officials said she faces increasing retaliation.

Last week, organizers with Grassroots Leadership received letters from women who have experienced sexual abuse and harassment, as well as a CoreCivic staff member who witnessed this abuse, officials said. More recently, a whistleblower's email was received listing the names of other guards abusing their positions of authority to allegedly prey on female detainees at the facility, officials said.

"Just this weekend, we received an email from a whistleblower also inspired by Laura who confirmed pervasive issues of sexual abuse at Hutto and gave us additional names of guards who have abused their power and position to sexually assault or take advantage of vulnerable women,” said Bethany Carson, immigration organizer at Grassroots Leadership.

In a statement from ICE to the site Rewire, officials at the agency claimed to have conducted an investigation only to deem Monterrosa’s claims as “unsubstantiated.”

“The only time Williamson County reached out to us was this past Friday, after knowing about Laura’s complaint for over three weeks, Muñoz said. "In a phone conversation, they admitted they did not pursue the investigation,”

Muñoz added that county officials said county officials now say the FBI has now intervened to take charge of the investigation following allegations that ICE is trying to cover up the abuse.

Advocates with Grassroots Leadership issued a prepared statement explaining why they gathered outside Chody's office in protest on Monday:

“We're here today because Williamson County has chosen to protect ICE over the women at Hutto. Ever since Williamson County became involved they have chosen to ignore women speaking out and their stories. Their failure has shown that the only true protection women have inside detention is their voices and each other.
Williamson County Sheriff's Office renounced their local jurisdiction by collaborating with ICE. We received confirmation that the FBI has stepped in and taken over this investigation so we are here today to say shame on you, Williamson County, for protecting ICE. Most importantly, we are here in recognition that Laura should be released immediately because we know that ICE, CoreCivic, and Williamson County are working together against her. ICE has the power to release her today.”

>>> Photo of Robert Chody via Williamson County Sheriff's Office