Texas Jail Project

📣TODAY IN Washington D.C. Texas Jail Project testified to Congress in FIRST hearing about harmful local impacts of 287(g) 🎥Watch the full hearing on Rep. Ramirez’s pages: 🔗 X: /repdeliaramirez 🔗 Facebook: /repdeliaramirez 🧡 Dalila Reynoso, Smith County resident, and Texas Jail Project staff member, provided testimony to congress this morning in an emotionally charged Shadow Hearing organized by Rep. Ramirez (D-Illinois) and Rep. Garcia (D-TX) about the impacts of 287(g) Task Force model enforcement in Texas. Ms. Reynoso offered oral and written testimony alongside a panel of advocates from across the country. You can see the materials we provided to Congressmembers on our website. 🏛️ Ms. Reynoso explained that Smith County has become one of the leading examples of how local law enforcement and ICE have merged into one indistinguishable force through the expansion of the 287(g) program and its Task Force Model. She shared stories of community members who were arrested under the Task Force Model in Smith County and separated from their families. ⚖️ In 2025, Texas passed Senate Bill 8, effectively mandating sheriffs across the state to partner with ICE. “The law was sold to communities and local law enforcement as a tool that would only target people with criminal backgrounds. But what we’ve seen is blatant racial profiling leading to traffic stops and low-level infractions that have turned into pipelines to detention and deportation. Even passengers in traffic stops have not been spared, as evidenced by Dee’s story. We are witnessing constitutional protections erode in real time, due process weakened and entire communities targeted based simply on their perceived race and ethnicity.” 🚨“What is most alarming is how blurred the lines have become between local police, sheriffs, and federal immigration agents. Families no longer know whether a routine interaction with local law enforcement could end with a loved one disappearing into ICE detention,” said Ms.Reynoso. #end287g

Texas Jail Project(TJP) has been invited by Rep. Ramirez to testify in a Shadow Hearing in U.S. Congress tomorrow on the real‑world impact of 287(g) on families and communities in East Texas. Our Lead Crimmigration Advocate Dalila Reynoso works at one of the most critical and overlooked intersections in Texas: where county jails become pipelines into ICE, and where pretrial detention, immigration enforcement, and mental health crises collide. Texas Jail Project has been working directly with people trapped in this system since 2008. Our first few 287(g) cases were the Local Mental Health Authority clients who were dealing with immigration issues.  Dalila Reynoso is the only community advocate from the great state of Texas to be invited to speak at this hearing. Because of her experience and TJP’s expertise as an advocate at the delicate intersection of the criminal and immigration systems, she is uniquely positioned to speak to the way county jails are being transformed into pipelines to deportation. On Friday, May 15, alongside advocates from around the country, Dalila will testify in Washington, DC on how 287(g) is reshaping local policing to perpetrate irreparable harm to the lives and families of law-abiding and hard working community members. ❤️🤍💙Thank you from Texans who love our neighbors to Representative Ramirez of Chicago, Illinois for taking on this charge. Watch the livestream on Rep. Ramirez’s pages: 🔗 X: /repdeliaramirez   🔗 Facebook: /repdeliaramirez Full press release + materials :here/2026/05/first-us-congressional-hearing-on-287g-texas-jail-project-invited-to-testify-livestream-friday-05-15-26/ [ Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CommunitiesNotCages #End287g ]

Please gift to mothers impacted by the #CriminalPunishmentSystem for #MothersDay Stats in video from PrisonPolicy.org Since 1980, the number of women in jail in Texas has increased 986%, and in the past 50 years, the total jail population in Texas has increased more than 500%. The vast majority of people who contact us as loved ones of an incarcerated person, are women. They are worried and tireless mothers, protective and loving sisters, and soulful and pained partners and wives. These women find Texas Jail Project in their late-night research, in their Google searches, in Facebook groups, and in jail visitation waiting rooms – they find us working their third job. As an intentional all women team of Black and brown women, we meet them where they are. We provide resources and a wide range of support – informational, material and emotional. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have disbursed over $250,000 in cash as direct aid. We trust women, mothers and caregivers to use the money to support their family members in the best way they know how. Studies have shown that direct cash aid is the most effective way to help people with low-income meet their needs. We have heard of funds being used for emergency housing, medical care, child care, essential utilities and even travel expenses to Austin to share experiences with law and policy makers to effect change in the deeply flawed county jail detention system. 💝 When you donate, put “mothers fund” in the donation comment so we knew what your gift is for. The link to donate is in our bio. 🧡[ Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CommunitiesNotCages ]

We will livestream the Jail Commission meeting tmr 9 am CT (5/7/26) on our YouTube channel (link in bio) 📸 The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (the state agency that oversees all Texas county jails) doesn’t live stream their quarterly meetings, but we do, so we can hold Texas county jails accountable 💪🏽 The clips you see here are all from people whose loved ones died in a Texas county jail. Watch their full testimonies on our YouTube channel. 🧡[Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #notonemore #endmassincarceration #communitiesnotcages]

🆘 Have you or your loved one been jailed because of a mental illness? 💔 Have you called for a mental health crisis intervention, and instead of being taken to the hospital they were taken to jail? 💔 Do you know an autistic person or someone with IDD who went to the ER during a crisis and was instead arrested? 💔 Do you know someone who has cycled through the county jail system and the public mental health system? 📣 Sunset Review is a critical opportunity for Texans to provide insight to our lawmakers on deficiencies in the public health system that is leading to more and more incarceration in Texas county jails. 🏛️ Every Texas agency is reviewed once in 12 years for relevancy and efficiency by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. This year Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) is under Sunset Review. This is our chance to reverse the HORRIFIC trend of the county jail system being the largest warehouser of Texans with mental illness. If you or a loved one has been criminalized for mental illness or developmental disability, this is your chance to give input. 💕 Texas Jail Project will walk you through the process of how to give your crucial input to the Sunset Advisory Commission. 📌 Here are our upcoming Sunset Review Office Hours: Thursday, April 23 7:00 – 8:00pm Tuesday, April 28 6:30 – 7:30pm Wednesday, April 29 4:00 – 5:00pm Email [email protected] or message us for the office link. 🧡[ Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CommunitiesNotCages ]

Although Shawn is 26 years old, he has the mental and emotional capacity of a 6 to 8 year old child and has been a patient of MHMR for almost twenty years. He is dearly loved by his community and especially by his mother, Christy. Why has an intellectually disabled young man who cannot advocate for himself been languishing in jail for 15 months? Email [email protected] and DEMAND his immediate transfer! DM us if you want to let us know how HHS responds to your email. #CareNotCages 🩵 Shawn’s case is not an outlier. We at Texas Jail Project deal with dozens of cases like Shawn’s all across the state. As per TX Health & Human Services (HHS) own data, the largest number of transfers to SSLCs of people with IDD are from county jails! Every month, 100s of people with serious mental illness and people with disabilities are criminalized for their behaviors because they are unable to access the level of care they need. 🚨We should all be extremely alarmed and ask why is this happening and why are our tax dollars being used to punish people with disabilities? You can help us change this shameful state of affairs. We have a chance to hold HHS - the second largest expense of tax dollars in TX - accountable. Every 12 years, the Sunset Commission reviews a certain number of agencies to determine their efficiency and reason for existence. This review can lead to major changes in agencies and sometime an agency can even be dissolved. HHS is currently under Sunset Review!!! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO HELP US TRANSFORM OUR SYSTEMS OF CARE! And save the date for these upcoming meetings where your input can drive real change: Wed April 8th- Jail Commission I/DD Advisory Committee Wed April 15th- SSLC Long Range Planning Report Public Hearing Follow for more info and updates on how you can provide input for HHS Sunset Review and other committees. [ Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CommunitiesNotCages #Tarrant County ]

💫We are beyond excited to send off Texas Jail Project’s Executive Director Krish Gundu to New Orleans for the 2026 @patoisfilmfest where the short musical documentary “Criminal” will be screened! 🎬Krish has been invited to join a post‑screening discussion at the Patois New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival on Sunday March 15th, where she will speak on mass incarceration and the urgent ongoing crises in Harris County Jail. 💪🏽We are proud to see Texas Jail Project’s work reaching new audiences and sparking dialogue beyond Texas. 🧡Join us in wishing Krish a safe trip and a powerful conversation in New Orleans as she continues to educate about the harms caused by cash bail and county jails, and fight for the dignity and rights of the people locked up inside. 🎥From @patoisfilmfest website: Featuring the music and lyrics of Tony Award winners Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald (“Passing Strange”) the animation of Cinema Eye winner Thomas Curtis (“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”) and the direction of Emmy winner Robe Imbriano (“Soul of a Nation”), “Criminal” is an animated musical documentary short film that confronts the injustice of people held at the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas. 🩵Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c) (3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CommunitiesNotCages #HarrisCountyJail #patois

🚨Shawn Fraraccio is a 26 year old young man from Tarrant County who is Autistic and has an Intellectual & Developmental Disability. Mentally, Shawn is a 6 to 8 year old child. He is loved by his community and especially by his mother, Christy, who testified yesterday at Tarrant County Commissioners Court. In December 2024, Shawn was arrested for behavior stemming from his diagnoses. Nobody was hurt and nobody wanted to press charges, but Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells decided to prosecuted anyway. Shawn has been locked up in Tarrant County Jail since then. In the past 15 months, he has lost a significant amount of weight and his health has visibly deteriorated. Shawn doesn’t even look like his booking picture anymore. He looks like he has lost half his original weight. His community is DEMANDING his immediate transfer to a State Supported Living Center where he can get the proper care and treatment he deserves and needs. 🚨How can you help? Community pressure is the only way to get them to act with the proper level of urgency. It’ll take you just a few minutes to call Tarrant County My Health My Resources (MHMR) at 817 335 3022 and demand Shawn Fraraccio immediately be given a bed at a State Supported Living Center before his health further deteriorates. If you can, call your county commissioner, state representative, and state senator as well. Contact info is at link in bio. DEMAND Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC) transfer Shawn Fraraccio to a State Supported Living Center!

Shawn Fraraccio is a 26 year old young man from Tarrant County who is Autistic and has an Intellectual & Developmental Disability. Mentally, Shawn is a 6 to 8 year old child. He is loved by his community and especially by his mother, Christy, who is testified this morning at Tarrant County Commissioners Court. In December 2024, Shawn was arrested for behavior stemming from his diagnoses. Nobody was hurt and nobody wanted to press charges, but Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells decided to prosecuted anyway. Shawn has been locked up in Tarrant County Jail since then. In the past 15 months, he has lost a significant amount of weight and his health has visibly deteriorated. Shawn doesn’t even look like the booking picture you see above anymore. He looks like he has lost half his original weight. His community is demanding his immediate transfer to a State Supported Living Center where he can get the proper care and treatment he deserves and needs. 💫How can you help? Community pressure is the only way to get them to act with the proper level of urgency. It’ll take you just a few minutes to call Tarrant County My Health My Resources (MHMR) at 817 335 3022 and email [email protected] to demand Shawn Fraraccio immediately be given a bed at a State Supported Living Center before his health further deteriorates. If you can, call your county commissioner, state representative, and state senator as well. Contact info is at link in bio. DEMAND Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC) transfer Shawn Fraraccio to a State Supported Living Center!

Shawn Fraraccio is a 26 year old young man from Tarrant County who is Autistic and has an Intellectual & Developmental Disability. Mentally, Shawn is a 6 to 8 year old child. He is loved by his community and especially by his mother, Christy. In December 2024, Shawn was arrested for behavior stemming from his diagnoses. Nobody was hurt and nobody wanted to press charges, but Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells decided to prosecuted anyway. Shawn has been locked up in Tarrant County Jail since then. In the past 15 months, he has lost a significant amount of weight and his health has visibly deteriorated. Shawn doesn’t even look like the booking picture you see above anymore. He looks like he has lost half his original weight. His community is demanding his immediate transfer to a State Supported Living Center where he can get the proper care and treatment he deserves and needs. 💫How can you help? Community pressure is the only way to get them to act with the proper level of urgency. It’ll take you just a few minutes to call Tarrant County My Health My Resources (MHMR) at 817 335 3022 and demand Shawn Fraraccio immediately be given a bed at a State Supported Living Center before his health further deteriorates. If you can, call your county commissioner, state representative, and state senator as well. DEMAND Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC) transfer Shawn Fraraccio to a State Supported Living Center!

📣”Between 2017 and 2020 more than 70 people have died in Tarrant County Jail. That’s more than 70 families destroyed, more than 70 futures stolen” -Anthony Johnson Sr, father of Marine veteran Anthony Johnson Jr. who was killed by Tarrant County guards in 2024 🧡Texas Jail Project joined over 50 people at the Tarrant County Courthouse on Sun March 1 to demand justice for community members who died while in custody in Tarrant County Jail. 🩵The rally was organized by @familiesunited817 Families United for Accountability and Transparency at Tarrant County Jail, a group that formed to unite family members impacted by incarceration and the mental health systems in Tarrant County. They engage with local and state agencies, such as county commissioners court, Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and state legislature to demand accountability and justice for their loved ones. 💪🏽Amaal Sharif community organizer with TJP shared: Sunday’s rally was the personification of what the love of a parent is. The rally was organized by family members of people who died in custody of Tarrant county Jail. Loved ones of those who died hold Sheriff Waybourn responsible for medical negligence and inhumane conditions that caused the deaths of over 70 people in the past 9 years since Waybourn has been Sheriff. Although these families were brought together through tragedy, each one made it their personal mission to birth life into space as they spoke proudly of their beautiful children. One of the most beautiful moments of the rally was seeing how the mothers would console each other after they spoke and spoke affirmations over them. Many community members and elected officials joined them on stage to express their condolences and also declare their commitment to fighting alongside each family to hold the Sheriff and the jail accountable for murdering their children. Despite the rally only lasting a few hours, its effects can still be felt long after with so many mothers across the state feeling empowered to also take a stand in their local communities. 📝Read more about our work and wins in our blog- Click the link in our bio

On February 5, news broke about an unprecedented $1.5 million settlement in a federal class action lawsuit against Smith County for the over detention of 102 Texans in their county jail. What the story missed is how this settlement came to be. Four years of persistent work, sustained advocacy, investigation, and research by Texas Jail Project laid the foundation for this landmark victory. This historic win can be traced back to a phone call received by Dalila Reynoso (lead mental health advocate) in January 2022 from 24 yr old LaDarion Hughes, a TJP client who had been in Smith County Jail since July 2019. He insisted he had already served his sentence, but the jail refused to release him. Nobody, not even his court appointed attorney, would listen or believe him. Jail staff insisted that Mr. Hughes had to be transferred to the prison system [Texas Department of Criminal Justice] before being released. But in reality, there is no such requirement in the law. People can be released from the county jail if they have served their time. Unfortunately, TJP quickly learned that Mr. Hughes’ case was not unique. Open records requests filed by TJP over the next several months with the help of civil rights attorneys revealed that 102 people had been held in Smith County jail for days, weeks and months past their sentences, several on multiple occasions. At least three of them, including Mr. Hughes were part of the forensic waitlist (a growing backlog of defendants found incompetent to stand trial who are waiting in county jails for transfer to a state hospital for ‘competency restoration services) prior to taking a plea deal. Read the incredible story in our full press release on our website. Link in bio! This huge win would not be possible without the support of our community members. Texas Jail Project is a small 501(c)(3) led by all women of color who support communities impacted by pretrial detention and provide civilian oversight of county jails. #NotOneMore #EndMassIncarceration #CareNotCages #CommunitiesNotCages #SmithCounty