How Texas' Law Enforcement Officials Are Shielding Illegal Aliens

How Texas' Law Enforcement Officials Are Shielding Illegal Aliens

By | Texas Scorecard | June 23, 2025

A Texas Scorecard investigation reveals troubling patterns in how law enforcement agencies across Texas are certifying thousands of U visa applications for illegal aliens.

A visa program, designated as a “U” visa, is intended to grant temporary legal status and work authorization to illegal aliens who are victims of certain serious crimes and agree to cooperate with law enforcement. However, critics claim some agencies may be misusing the program for political purposes.

According to public information data from agencies across the state, from January 2024 through early 2025, agencies across Texas issued thousands of U visa certifications.

These certifications do not technically grant legal status; the final decision rests with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, according to former ICE special agent Victor Avila, “It’s sent by paperwork, administratively, and that is how it gets approved. There’s actually no one checking on that information.”

An analysis of the data reveals stark inconsistencies across departments, raising concerns about fairness, transparency, and potential abuse.

Some jurisdictions stand out for their high U visa certification numbers:

  • Dallas Police Department: 1,058 certifications – the highest in the state, according to available data
  • Harris County District Attorney’s Office: 972 certifications
  • Travis County District Attorney’s Office: 635 certifications
  • San Antonio Police Department: 552 certifications
  • Dallas County District Attorney’s Office: 456 certifications
  • Harris County Sheriff’s Office: 247 certifications

The Houston Police Department declined to provide data without a $630 processing fee, calling Texas Scorecard’s request “voluminous.” A narrowed request was submitted, but a response has not yet been received.

These numbers raise serious questions: Are certain areas experiencing a disproportionate amount of serious crime victimizing illegal aliens, or are some jurisdictions applying U visa guidelines more liberally or even politically?

According to Avila, NGOs help illegal aliens apply for U visas as a last resort to remain in the United States.

“If you would conduct an audit of this U Visa program, you are going to find a lot of victims that did not qualify and used this system to obtain access into the United States with the help of third parties,” Avila told Texas Scorecard.

While major cities do experience varying levels of violent crime, no clear data shows that illegal aliens are more frequently targeted than other groups.

However, these populations are often more vulnerable to some crimes.

According to USCIS, “Traffickers and abusers often use a victim’s lack of immigration status to exploit and control them. In addition, language and cultural barriers may make it difficult for victims to seek help after experiencing victimization.”

One of the most controversial examples involves the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which certified nearly 50 U visa applications for illegal aliens flown to Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022 as part of a political protest.

Sheriff Javier Salazar launched an investigation into allegations that the individuals were deceptively recruited. He used this as a basis for certifying U visa applications for them.

This move reveals how easily immigration protections can be used for ideological purposes rather than being grounded in legal necessity.

In El Paso, the District Attorney’s Office focused on domestic violence and sexual assault cases, with some applications processed in a matter of days. However, numerous applications were ultimately rejected due to procedural errors or insufficient documentation, prompting concerns about rushed vetting and inadequate screening.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Police Department certified alleged victims of various crimes—from serious felonies to criminal trespassing—raising questions about inconsistent approval standards. The federal government denied the U visa for the misdemeanor trespassing case.

Several major departments, including Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Austin Police Department, provided little or no data.

The uneven distribution of U visa certifications—ranging from more than a thousand in some areas to none in others—suggests selective enforcement, inconsistent application, or even administrative negligence.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare has hosted events where the DA’s office offers free U visa legal assistance for illegal aliens.

The disparities exposed by Texas Scorecard’s investigation point to a need for closer oversight.

“The most difficult ones to prove are the ones where victims claim the crime happened outside of the United States, in their home country,” Avila said.

According to Avila, it is very difficult for U.S. law enforcement to corroborate the reported crimes outside of the United States. As a result, many times claims are taken at face value.

Congress established a nationwide cap of 10,000 U visas per year with no cap on family members. However, far more people apply, resulting in a years-long waitlist. While applicants wait—often for more than five years—for a decision on their U visa, many are granted deferred action and receive a work permit in the meantime.

The U visa program currently exists as a pathway to temporary legal status for illegal aliens—effectively granted by local law enforcement agencies across the country—allowing many illegals to remain in the U.S.

Uniform statewide certification standards, mandatory public reporting requirements for all law enforcement agencies, and clearer definitions of qualifying crimes and evidentiary requirements would provide more transparency to citizens about how law enforcement agencies decide to certify U visa applications for illegal aliens.

Texas Scorecard requested a comment from each of the law enforcement agencies discussed in this article. No comments were received before publication.

Joseph is a journalist for Texas Scorecard reporting from Houston. With a background in business, Joseph is passionate about covering issues impacting citizens.