Texas’ ultraconservative crusade against abortion starts with Dr. María’s clinics

Google still lists them as open, but the reality is that three clinics northwest of Houston, Texas were closed on Wednesday, just one day after local authorities arrested three individuals for performing abortions. The clinics — Clínica Waller Latinoamericana, Clínica Latinoamericana Telge, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic — are located in Waller, Cypress, and Spring, respectively. Together, they form the so-called Latin American Clinic Network, which, according to investigations, was led until Tuesday by midwife María Margarita Rojas, the first person arrested.

Before the order, Waller’s clinic and the other two locations were open daily, offering services such as ultrasounds, vaccinations, and laboratory tests. They also conducted the required medical exams for immigration procedures. According to its website, the network sold a “Latin American Membership” for an annual fee of $150, which included benefits such as $10 medical visits and a 5% discount on laboratory tests.

The arrest of Rojas, a 48-year-old woman known as “Dr. Maria,” was announced in a statement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. The statement alleges that the clinics also employed unlicensed individuals who posed as licensed professionals to provide medical treatment.

In a new statement issued Tuesday, the Attorney General’s Office announced the arrest of two Cuban nationals as part of the investigation. The first, identified as 29-year-old José Manuel Cendan Ley, was arrested on March 17 and charged with performing an abortion and practicing medicine without a license. According to the statement, “Ley performed illegal medical procedures as a medical assistant at Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, TX and assisted Maria Margarita Rojas in providing at least one illegal abortion.”

The second detainee, 54-year-old Rubildo Labanino Matos, has been in custody since March 8. While Matos is a Cuban-trained nurse practitioner, his license is currently on probation. He faces charges of conspiracy to practice medicine without a license.

The three individuals are the first to be arrested since Texas passed a near-total abortion ban. “It’s incredible that these things are happening so close to here. We are against abortion,” said the pastor of a nearby Baptist church.

The main defendant, María Margarita Rojas, was described as a devout Catholic by midwife Holly Sherman, who claims to have been her friend for several years. “I don’t believe it for one second,” she told the Texas Tribune. “I’ve known her for eight years and I’ve never heard her talk about anything like that.

According to court records cited by the Texas Tribune, the suspects allegedly attempted to perform an abortion on a woman identified by the initials E.G. on two separate occasions. E.G. reportedly agreed to take abortion pills from “Dr. Maria” after being told her pregnancy was likely non-viable. She later told authorities that she wanted to become a mother but trusted the medical advice after being warned “of medical complications that would arise should she continue with the pregnancy.”

The anonymous complaint that launched the investigation, filed in January, also accused Rojas of performing two other abortions in September 2023 — one on a woman identified as K.P., who was three months pregnant, and another on D.V., who was eight weeks pregnant.

“Individuals killing unborn babies by performing illegal abortions in Texas will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and I will not rest until justice is served,” said Texas Attorney general stated. “I will continue to fight to protect life and work to ensure that anyone guilty of violating our state’s pro-life laws is held accountable.” Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act, abortion is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying penalties of two to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

The Attorney General’s Health Program Enforcement Division requested a temporary restraining order to shut down Rojas’s clinics to “prevent further illegal activity.” The closures have already taken effect, but on Wednesday, no one passing through the Waller area seemed aware of them.

“I only saw the police arrive, but until now, I didn’t know why,” said a worker at an auto repair shop across the street from one of the clinics. “Not many people went in there,” another added. The shop still had an “Open” sign displayed in one of its windows.

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