With accelerating assaults on democracy nationally being amplified in the state of Texas, the team at Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) knew that 2025 was going to be a challenging year. Now, with only weeks to go, President Rochelle Garza is proud of TCRP’s accomplishments and impact this year.  

“There’s no doubt that the Texas Civil Rights Project is meeting this critical moment in our nation’s history,” said Garza. “We really stepped into this year ready to fight for the rights of all Texans, especially in the face of this federal administration which has been particularly hostile to civil rights.” 

TCRP advocates and organizes with Texas communities, boldly serving movements for equality and justice. They envision a Texas where all communities thrive, with dignity and justice. Their work advances Texans’ civil rights, partners with social justice movements, and aims to effect positive and lasting change to law and policy.  

Critical to this work, is their commitment to protecting protesting and dissent – ensuring that underrepresented communities have the civic power and opportunity to meaningfully participate in democracy and the decisions that impact their lives and communities. 

“Let me be clear: in the United States of America, our freedoms of expression, assembly, and speech are protected under the First Amendment. Texans gathering across the state are exercising those rights. The governor’s decision to deploy the National Guard at protests across Texas is not about keeping people safe; it’s an attempt to silence them. TCRP continues to advocate for the right to protest peacefully and to denounce all violence and intimidation, especially from those in power.” 

Their commitment to protecting core democratic rights is woven throughout their programs focused on democracy and voting rights, immigrant and migrant justice, and criminal justice. They do all of this alongside impacted communities – using litigation, advocacy, communications campaigns, and public policy solutions.  

With the help of community leaders and volunteers, TCRP was able to reach more than 1,500 people who took actions on a tremendous volume of harmful bills introduced during the 2025 legislative session in Texas. They were able to help defeat a number of these bills that would have impacted voting access, police transparency, and criminal justice.  

“One thing that I heard time and time again from representatives is that our work and the volunteers’ work in highlighting the most egregious or the most dangerous things really helped them focus on what they needed to fight back on,” said Associate Director of Policy Alycia Castillo.  

Legal Director Dustin Rynders points to the immense work to push back against criminalization of first amendment freedoms and champion the case of Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman who resided for several years in New Jersey and is now held unjustly in detention at Prairieland Detention Center in North Texas. Leqaa was targeted by immigration officials for her participation in protests for Palestinian human rights at Columbia University, and the Administration released a press release describing her participation at the time of her arrest. Kordia has been ordered to be released in two separate judicial orders, which were overridden by the federally implemented automatic stay. She has noted the horrific nature of the conditions within the detention center and the lack of religious accommodation she has received. TCRP continues to fight for Leqaa’s release. 

“Ms. Kordia’s detention is a prime example of the attack on the First Amendment and the attempted erosion of due process that we are seeing across the United States at this moment. If the First Amendment means anything, it means that the government cannot throw you in detention because the government does not like your speech. The Texas Civil Rights Project is proud to stand with Ms. Kordia as we defend her constitutional rights,” said Travis Fife, staff attorney, Texas Civil Rights Project. 

In addition to its core programmatic work, TCRP led several innovative initiatives this year, including hosting an inaugural tour of the entire Texas-Mexico border in September. Through this 6-day trip across South Texas and into Northern Mexico, over 25 participants, including national leaders, journalists, and influencers, saw firsthand the realities faced by border communities. 

“This immersive experience allowed folks from all over the nation to get an up close look at what we at the US-Mexico border feel every day: the fear of border militarization through passing immigration checkpoints, seeing the impact that a lack of resources has had on our most vulnerable, and the humanity within those seeking a better life in the United States,” said Garza. “This project, which we plan to grow and evolve, has the power to change the hearts and minds of the American people with truth and reality.”