Assault charges against Margarita Avila, arrested in a landscaper-postal worker confrontation, have been dropped.
HOUSTON — Assault charges have been dismissed against a landscaper who was arrested in a widely circulated video showing a confrontation with a postal worker in Harris County earlier this year. Now, the family of Margarita Avila is calling for her release from federal immigration custody.
Avila was arrested in March after she allegedly injured a postal worker with a weed eater while landscaping near a community mailbox. The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office charged her with assault after the incident, which was partially caught on video. Her family has consistently maintained that she acted in self-defense.
The confrontation reportedly began when the postal worker asked Avila to stop working near the mailbox cluster. According to her family, Avila was wearing earplugs and protective gear at the time and didn’t hear the postal worker approach. They claim the postal worker initiated the altercation.
Following her arrest, Avila was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her family said the criminal charge violated her immigration status and could lead to deportation.
They have retained separate attorneys to handle the criminal and immigration aspects of her case. With the assault charge now dropped, the family plans to speak publicly on Friday to demand Avila’s release from ICE detention.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed it is aware of the incident and interviewed the postal worker involved but is not conducting its own investigation. The agency has referred all further inquiries to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, which has not issued additional comments.
The video of the incident, recorded after the confrontation began, helped draw public attention to the case. Avila’s family hopes that the dismissal of charges will now clear the way for her return home.