The Department of Justice indicated on Friday that it is investigating the illegal dumps in Houston (Texas) created in neighborhoods with a Latino or black majority and in which corpses are even abandoned.
The investigation, led by the Civil Rights Division, will examine whether local police and other authorities discriminate against Blacks and Latinos in violation of federal civil rights laws.
Vandalized appliances, furniture, tires, medical waste and ATMs are piling up in those landfills, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said at a news conference.
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“Illegal dumping is a long-standing environmental justice issue, and like many such issues, it
tends to disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities
,” said Clarke, who heads the civil rights division.
It's the first publicly announced action since Attorney General Merrick Garland created an environmental justice office at the Justice Department in May.
The new office has focused on “demarcation line communities” in Houston, New Orleans, Chicago and other cities that have been exposed to air and water pollution from chemical plants, refineries and other industrial sites.
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Illegal dumps
attract rodents, mosquitoes and other vermin
that pose a health risk, and can pollute surface waters and make neighborhoods more susceptible to flooding.
In addition, they reduce the value of homes, harm the quality of life and even lower life expectancy.
"No one should be exposed to the risk of disease and other serious harm from ineffective solid waste management or inadequate enforcement programs," the prosecutor said.
The investigation will focus on Trinity/Houston Gardens, a predominantly black and Latino neighborhood in northeast Houston that frequently complains about illegal dumping, according to Clarke.
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Mary Benton, a spokeswoman for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, said Friday that she was "not aware" of bodies being dumped anywhere in Houston.
The city doubled the maximum fine for illegal dumping violations last year, she said.
The federal investigation follows a complaint by Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonprofit advocacy group that helps low-income residents of Texas and Arkansas, including landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosures, disaster recovery and justice. environmental.