LULAC SAYS REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS AT TEXAS BORDER ARE POLITICAL REINFORCEMENTS FOR GREG ABBOTT'S HATE CAMPAIGN

Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization says Texas Taxpayers’ Funds are Being Wasted to Support Texas Governor's Multi-Billion Dollar Border Failure

Washington, DC — The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), vehemently denounces Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star as a cruel and barbaric waste of taxpayer dollars that puts Christan refugees’ lives at risk and does nothing to solve the immigration and humanitarian crisis. Fellow Republican governors should be ashamed and are accomplices in the violation of human rights and basic failure of human decency.

Domingo Garcia, LULAC's National President, expressed deep concern over the purpose of the visit by Republican Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota to Eagle Pass, Texas. This region is the epicenter of the US-Mexico border crisis, exacerbated by the deployment of hazardous buoys equipped with saw blades and concertina wire. Regrettably, these instruments have led to tragic incidents of injury and death in the Rio Grande River. Estimates just in the Eagle Pass sector are over 200 refugee deaths in the last year.

"Governor Abbott is transforming his hateful attack on defenseless refugees into a grotesque spectacle and is now inviting his supporters to witness his barbaric actions firsthand. LULAC denounces these actions, labeling them as crimes against humanity. Such acts not only violate international law but also offend the basic principles of human decency that are integral to American values," asserted President Garcia.

LULAC representatives visited Eagle Pass and engaged with families directly impacted by the crisis. They witnessed the heart-wrenching aftermath of dozens of refugees' bodies being recovered from the river. Such tragic occurrences cannot be justified, and the utilization of sadistic instruments, unprecedented anywhere else in the world, is a grave concern on American soil. To cloak these measures as a defense strategy is an affront to humanity.

President Garcia highlighted that LULAC's commitment to addressing the border crisis was evident when he traveled to Eagle Pass, joining a Congressional delegation that included members such as Joaquin Castro, Tony Cardenas, Sylvia Garcia, and Sheila Lee-Jackson. Also present was Rolando Gutierrez, a Texas State Senator whose district is the epicenter of the highest refugee death rates in the nation.

Garcia further emphasized, "We urge these Republican governors to redirect their attention to their own states and refrain from becoming pawns in a failed policy of hatred and fear. Innocent women and children should never be exploited for political gain, especially as male family members endure weeks of incarceration in deplorable and inhumane conditions. Texas deserves better, and America demands more from its leaders."

LULAC denounces the calculated and divisive actions of the visiting Republican governors at the Texas-Mexico border. These actions further fuel the flames of hostility and cruelty rather than embodying the values of compassion and inclusivity that America represents. LULAC remains dedicated to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their origin, and urges the nation to stand united against such actions that contradict the principles upon which the United States was founded.

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.