LULAC ALERT: TEXAS GOVERNOR ABBOTT IS ENCOURAGING CRIMINAL WHITE EXTREMISTS WITH A HATE AGENDA TO COME TO THE STATE
Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Issues Historic Warning of Looming Trouble Over Razor Wire at U.S. – Mexico Border
January 29, 2024
Contact David Cruz - (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org
Washington, DC - LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, is issuing an immediate National Alert, only the second in the organization's nearly 100-year history.
"False and inciteful political rhetoric from Governor Greg Abbott is agitating people to possibly commit acts of violence and mass murder. We urge our members, especially those in Texas, to be on alert for armed out-of-state extremists with a hate agenda," says Domingo Garcia, LULAC national president. "We've seen death at the hands of shooters due to hate speech. We cannot forget what occurred at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, just a few years ago. Hate speech is being used yet again to rachet up anger and hatred that are putting Hispanic Texans, law enforcement, military service members, and innocent civilians in the crosshairs," says Garcia.
LULAC issued the first National Alert in May 2023, warning against traveling to Florida after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed Bill 1718, unleashing a wave of anti-immigrant measures against Latinos in that state. LULAC's no-travel advisory and community grassroots actions were patterned after steps the organization took when Arizona passed SB1070 in 2010.
"We need true bipartisan support for immigration reform. A multiprong approach to reforming our immigration system. Our focus needs to target drug cartels, human smugglers, and arms runners. Not families, women, and children. At the same time, we need to open legal immigration options for real refugees and provide legalization for those immigrants with no criminal record who pay a fine and pass a background check," urges Garcia.
LULAC remains focused on positive dialogue by all sides in Congress and urges Americans not to antagonize each other on the streets throughout the border regions. "I plead with our communities to remain peaceful and law-abiding and not get drawn into confrontations with those trying to provoke a fight. Instead, our strongest, most effective voice is our vote at the ballot box in 2024, where we are focusing all our energies," says Ray Mancera, LULAC national vice president for the southwest.
"These stunts by Abbott and others are encouraging lawlessness and do nothing to solve the broken immigration system. LULAC is committed to comprehensive immigration reform," says Lydia Guzman, LULAC's national immigration chair. "The Supreme Court ruled that erecting deadly barriers is illegal, and it is also inhumane to let women, children, and families die because of them," says Guzman.
A group claiming to be "God's Army" announced it will leave Virginia Beach, Virginia, in a convoy headed to Texas today, then straddle the U.S. – Mexico border. The group's statement said that it plans to "take our border back." Abbott signed a statement Wednesday, January 24, citing Section 4 of the Constitution, "which reserves the right of self-defense." Twenty-five Republican Governors have added their names.
"Abbott and his supporters are creating a media circus for political gain and to raise money. LULAC abhorrently condemns hate speech, actions, and lies that hurt human life, especially those coming to the United States to survive deplorable conditions and seek refuge. Let's see immigration for the good it provides our country rather than calling it a threat to divide and weaken us as a nation," says Garcia.
###