HOUSTON – Leaders, including former White House Advisor Steve Bannon, of "We Build the Wall," a private organization which had purported to raise funds for border wall construction, were today arrested on fraud charges.
Responding to today's arrests, Andre Segura, legal director for the ACLU of Texas said:
"Multiple Trump administration officials publicly endorsed 'We Build the Wall,' and the Department of Homeland Security, at the urging of President Trump, even awarded a $400 million contract to a company affiliated with the group. But when we demanded answers about the administration's relationship with this group, we got nine months of silence. The Department of Homeland Security must immediately turn over all records accounting for its suspicious dealings with 'We Build the Wall.'"
The ACLU of Texas had previously filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Department of Homeland Security seeking information about the federal government's relationship and dealings with the organization.
Read our blog for more information on what we know about the administration's relationship with 'We Build the Wall.'
