As ICE ramps up deportations, Texas prosecutors say they're losing key witnesses in criminal cases

Source: Salon

Published December 26, 2025 6:00AM (EST)


In West Texas, a man was indicted in September for assaulting Manuel Chairez-Montes, fracturing the left side of his face. But before District Attorney Sarah Stogner could take the case to trial, Chairez-Montes, who was undocumented, was deported to Mexico. Now, the case is in limbo.

Adan Yanez Porras was charged in Ward County with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, but Stogner said she can’t prosecute the case without the victim’s testimony. Stogner said he’s applying for a U-Visa, which allows crime victims who are noncitizens to stay in the country for up to four years. Meanwhile, Porras has been out on bond for months. Stogner said he was released almost immediately after his indictment.

Stogner, who also represents Loving and Reeves counties, said the case is one of the ripple effects of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. “It makes it harder for me to convict dangerous felons when … witnesses are getting deported, victims are getting deported, and the defendant or the perpetrator themselves are getting deported,” she said.

As President Donald Trump accelerates mass deportation efforts to “keep American communities safe,” other Texas district attorneys say in some cases, it’s doing the opposite by making it harder for them to prosecute people accused of violent crimes.

Read more: https://www.salon.com/2025/12/26/as-ice-ramps-up-deportations-texas-prosecutors-say-theyre-losing-key-witnesses-in-criminal-cases-partner/