Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee launched an investigation into Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Jose Garza over his office’s immigration policies.
Travis County covers the greater Austin area. The probe is aimed at looking into Garza’s handling of cases involving illegal aliens. Republicans have alleged that his office shields criminal illegals from federal immigration enforcement while placing public safety in peril.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Tom McClintock (R-CA) demanded years of records related to the office’s interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), policies for prosecuting non-citizens, training materials on immigration, and cases where prosecutors considered appropriate charges or sentences of non-citizens.
The letter states that Garza’s office has “routinely undermined the rule of law under the guise of safeguarding the public” and that Garza previously committed to “[p]rotect immigrant communities” by “crea[ing] a [district attorney’s] office that considers the impact of charges and convictions” on foreign nationals.
Jose Garza is now under investigation, and has until July 7th at 5:00pm to provide documents and show some accountability for his decision to recklessly endanger the community.
— Austin Videos (@ATXVideos) June 23, 2026
We all know Jose Garza is allergic to accountability, so this may be a struggle for him. https://t.co/vr7fNUOZS4
The committee further stated that under Garza’s policies, “illegal alien criminals are allowed to freely operate, terrorize local communities, and reoffend without consequences.”
Republicans have criticized Garza over his approach to crime and immigration. Texas Republican lawmakers in 2023 passed a law allowing the removal of district attorneys for official misconduct. A petition was filed against Garza, but it was later dismissed.
Gov. Greg Abbott also pushed proposals for a statewide prosecutor and impeachment changes that appeared aimed at leftist prosecutor’s offices like Garza’s.
Garza’s office also promised to expand diversion programs for foreign nationals charged with felonies so they could avoid facing deportation. The letter says his “soft-on-crime approach led to the release of at least five criminal aliens in 2024 alone.”
Republicans have called out Garza’s missed state indictment deadlines that allowed some defendants — including those with serious charges — to be released and transferred to federal immigration authorities instead of facing prosecution in Travis County. These essentially amount to sanctuary-style protections limiting cooperation with ICE, according to critics.
Roy said the investigation will force much-needed transparency. “Under District Attorney José Garza, Austin has been failed by pro-criminal policies that weaken accountability and prioritize lawbreakers over public safety,” he said, according to Texas Scorecard.
He further stated that Garza’s “dereliction of duty has raised serious questions about whether repeat offenders, including criminal aliens, are being adequately prosecuted and whether the safety of law-abiding Austin residents is being put first.”
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