Late in November, federal immigration agents took well-known Bishop Arts bartender Donovan Hinda into custody following a driving-while-intoxicated arrest. Friends and neighbors say Hinda, who came to the United States as a child and previously held DACA protections, has long been a familiar face at Oak Cliff events, and his detention has shaken the neighborhood. Immigrant-rights organizers say the case has renewed concerns that recent enforcement actions are sweeping up longtime community members.
Local reporting shows Hinda was arrested on a DWI charge and later turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to KERA News, he is being held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, roughly 200 miles west of Dallas. Facility listings confirm the center processes ICE detainees from north Texas and is run under contract, highlighting how far families must travel to visit someone held there, according to InmateAid.
How a DWI can affect DACA protections
Under federal DACA rules, certain criminal convictions can disqualify someone from deferred action and related work authorization. Driving under the influence is listed among misdemeanors that can be disqualifying for DACA, and the agency can terminate a grant of deferred action at its discretion, according to USCIS.
Friends have launched a fundraising to cover Hinda’s legal costs, and local reporting notes a page set up to pay his fees. KERA News reports the fundraiser and says Hinda was brought to the U.S. from Namibia at about age six and that his DACA status recently lapsed. Neighbors described him as “a mainstay throughout Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff,” a sentiment repeated by people who work and gather in the neighborhood.
Part of a national enforcement trend
Advocates and national outlets say Hinda’s case fits a pattern of renewed enforcement that has affected other DACA recipients. The AP News has reported that roughly 20 DACA recipients have been arrested or detained since the administration took office, a figure local advocates cite when they call for legal aid and oversight…