The Democratic candidates for Hidalgo County District Attorney appeared in a forum Tuesday night and answered questions that included prolonged issues in Hidalgo County like public corruption and jail overcrowding.
Toribio “Terry” Palacios and Nereida Lopez-Singleterry also addressed questions about more recent topics here like the backlog of cases because of the pandemic’s impact on jury trials and whether they would prosecute migrants on trespassing charges under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security measures.
The forum was one of a number hosted by advocacy group Futuro RGV and was moderated by Steve Taylor, publisher of the Rio Grande Guardian.
Perhaps one of the most important questions for both candidates was how they would handle public corruption in Hidalgo County, a problem that reappears constantly despite a steady stream of elected officials being convicted for bribery over the years.
Lopez-Singleterry said the topic is one of her priorities and if elected, she promised to create a specialized unit to target and prosecute public corruption.
“It’s something we hear about, something talked about but not acted on … It’s about time that we have a public corruption task force,” she said, adding that these cases impact everything from infrastructure, to contracts, to businesses, to schools being built and needs to be handled with care by someone with backbone.
Palacios said public corruption usually happens in smaller cities and the DA’s office needs to train police officers and investigators in those cities to target any type of corruption.
Taylor asked whether public corruption should be a focus of the DA’s office or left to federal prosecutors.
Both candidates agreed that prosecuting public corruption should not just be left to federal authorities.
Another immediate problem posed to the candidates was the backlog of jury trials caused by the pandemic, which has exacerbated overcrowding at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center.
The question also tied into the issue of the millions of dollars the county spends housing people accused of crimes in other county jails because Hidalgo County’s jail is always at near capacity.
Palacios said to reduce the backlog of cases, he would make sure prosecutors properly prepare to try the cases or obtain a plea as efficiently as possible.
He also suggested that if a trial does not include an alleged victim, he would push for bench trials in front of a judge, which do not require a jury.
“So, therefore, it will cut down our docket, but everybody has to be on the ball. Everybody has to be working efficiently and effectively so justice can be done,” he said.
Lopez-Singleterry said cooperation with stakeholders in the judicial system is needed to handle the backlog.
“We need to work on programs to make those cases fast tracked,” she said.
She suggested investing time and money into diversion programs.
As for reducing overcrowding at the jail, Palacios suggested the increase in jailings was due to mental health and substance abuse issues and said the community, mental health providers, substance abuse providers and law enforcement agencies must come together to create a “crisis center.”
“If anyone is arrested for a mental health issue or substance abuse issue, they should be allowed to go to the crisis center to be evaluated and treated, allowing the officer to go back to the street and try to treat the problem instead of jail the problem,” Palacios said.
Lopez-Singleterry said taxpayer monies need to be used effectively and efficiently to reduce the number of non-violent offenders who are in custody, as well as working with the courts and other stakeholders with that same goal in mind.
Currently, Hidalgo County is not participating in the governor’s initiative to have people in the country illegally arrested on trespassing charges as officials here defer to Border Patrol agents, who arrest those individuals on federal immigration charges before incarcerating them in immigration detention facilities.
Taylor also asked both candidates how they would handle those cases should the Texas Department of Public Safety start arresting migrants on trespassing charges and referring them to the DA’s office for prosecution.
Palacios appeared skeptical, saying in order to prosecute criminal trespass a victim is needed and he posited whether the state of Texas would be the victim, which he was also skeptical about.
“If the elements don’t fit the crime, why are we going to charge these people coming across,” Palacios asked.
He said he was not convinced about charging migrants with criminal trespass, but if the law directed him to do so, he said he would follow the law.
Lopez-Singleterry said her duty would be to follow the law and if migrants were charged with criminal trespass, she would follow the law.
These were just a handful of answers to the thoughtful questions crafted by Futuro RGV’s question committee.
To view the complete forum, please visit Futuro RGV’s Facebook page where the video will be available until the primary election scheduled for March 1.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face Republican district attorney candidate Juan Tijerina.
