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Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff
Loaded on Feb. 1, 2026
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2026, page 44
Filed under:
Staffing,
Exposure to Heat,
Guards/Staff,
Deportation/Removal/Exclusion,
Detention - Generally.
Location:
Texas.
by Matt Clarke
The Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi, an Episcopal priest, was working as a prison guard in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) until federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) declared him a deportable alien and detained him as he returned home from work on …
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More from this issue:
- Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, by Chuck Sharman
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- New Hampshire Prison System Struggles to Hire Guards
- Washington County Pays $300,000 to Jail Detainee Denied Treatment for Kidney Stone, by Chuck Sharman
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, by Chuck Sharman
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, by Matthew Clarke
- Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access, by Michael Thompson
- Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison
- $450,000 Paid for Michigan Jail Detainee’s Fentanyl Death, Incarcerated Husband Prevails in Claim for Part of Payout, by Chuck Sharman
- North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles, by Chuck Sharman
- Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking, by Jo Ellen Nott
- FCC Releases Final Version of Order Gutting 2024 Phone Cap Regulations, by Michael Thompson
- Half of South Dakota’s Prison Population Returns to Prison
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- $2 Million Settlement Reached for 12-Year-Old’s Gang Rape in Detroit Juvenile Detention Center, by Chuck Sharman
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, by Ivy Scott
- Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs, by Anthony Accurso
- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, by Douglas Ankney
- California Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Ripped Off Prisoner, by Michael Thompson
- Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High
- Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment, by Michael Thompson
- Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump, by Michael Thompson
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies
- HRDC Sues Minnesota DOC Over Censorship Policy, by Robert Haughn
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Failure to Properly Classify Violent Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- Alabama and Wexford Health Pay Undisclosed Settlement for Delays Costing Prisoner Partial Foot Amputation, by Chuck Sharman
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap, by Candace Norwood
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry, by Douglas Ankney
- Two Mississippi Prisons Lose Power During Winter Storm
- Delaware Settles Suit Over Depriving Young Prisoners of Special Education, by Chuck Sharman
- Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff, by Matthew Clarke
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New York State Prisons Turning Away Visitors with Tampons After Scan
- Georgia Grand Jury Dings Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, by Chuck Sharman
- Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, by Matthew Clarke
- After Exposing Prison Horrors, Incarcerated Whistleblowers Are Moved to Solitary, by Katie Rose Quandt
- Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity
- Federal Court Strikes Much of Virginia’s Felony Voting Restriction, by Chuck Sharman
- Arkansas Bans Outside Reading Material Sent to Prisons, by Jo Ellen Nott
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, by Michael Thompson
- “Critical Labor Shortage” Declared at Two Rural Prisons in Nevada
- Pennsylvania County Renews $8 Million Contract with PrimeCare Despite Settlements
- Report on Baltimore Jail Reveals Human Waste Dripped from Ceilings
- Idaho Prisons Are Full. Costs for Incarcerating Inmates in Jails and Out of State Are Skyrocketing, by Laura Guido
- California Oversight Agency Hasn’t Finished a Single Review of Jail Deaths
- Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures
- New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits, by Jo Ellen Nott
- United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, March 1, 2026
- Missouri Judge Heavily Sanctions DOC for “Deliberate Disregard for the Authority of This Court” in Suit Over Prisoner’s Suicide, March 1, 2026
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Exposure to Heat, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Deliberate Indifference.
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, State Legislation.
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Dental Care, Private Contractors, Staffing.
- At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Life without Parole (LWOP), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Staff Training.
- Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight, April 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Sanitation, Jail Specific, Vermin.
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed, April 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing.
- New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner, March 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Staffing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

