Friend, I recently returned from a sobering trip to the border in my home state of Texas, alongside a group of immigrants’ rights advocates. I want to share what I saw with you because we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the suffering and injustice happening right now.
Just a day after Donald Trump’s heartless MAGA rally in Eagle Pass, our day there began by visiting a shelter and bus station where Governor Abbott buses migrants out of the state and across the country. This political ploy intentionally sends migrants (often with no one to receive them) to cities like Chicago and New York, forcing housing challenges intended to divide communities and stoke anti-immigrant sentiment.
Later, we stood surrounded by members of the Texas National Guard at the entrance of Shelby Park, the testing ground for some of Governor Abbott’s most militaristic policies and where he’s gone so far as to ban the U.S. border patrol from operating. The sight of heavily armed personnel patrolling behind barbed wire was beyond disturbing.
We traveled down the Rio Grande by canoe, encountering the same rapids, currents, buoys, and barriers that migrants must traverse, often carrying children, without anything to protect them from the myriad dangers in the water. From our boats, we saw remnants of clothing caught in the barbed wire that had been forcibly ripped off the bodies of those who crossed, leaving behind a painful reminder of the toll exacted by these extremist policies.
And Texas is actively seeking to make things worse. We just filed a lawsuit challenging S.B. 4, a law that will empower Texas law enforcement to racially profile immigrants and U.S.-born residents alike, and further subvert federal authority over immigration law.
We cannot allow Texas’ power grab to go unchecked, and we also can't do this work alone. Our allies in Texas are counting on us. We must work together to keep fighting, advocating for change, and working to dismantle the systems that perpetuate these injustices.
Thank you for not looking away and always supporting our efforts to make a difference.
Lisa Graybill
Vice President, Law & Policy
National Immigration Law Center
