Nation’s largest and oldest Latino civil rights organization calls the idea mean-spirited, overstepping his power and political theater for re-election.
Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued the following statement after Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that undocumented migrants released along the Texas-Mexico border would be shipped in chartered buses to the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
“We are sending them to the United States Capitol where the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately address the needs of the people they are allowing to come across our border,” said Abbott.
Domingo Garcia – LULAC National President
Today’s announcement by Governor Abbott that he will be chartering buses from the border to DC is the height of hypocrisy. He uses human beings as political piñatas to score political points six months before his election. It is mean-spirited to use refugees’ lives to manipulate public opinion and personal political gain. We expect Governor Abbott would treat these refugees humanely with Christian charity and welcome them with open arms. Our governor is helping and abetting hate-mongering and scapegoating that we’ve seen in the past from far right-wing organizations. We expect more of our governor; unfortunately, we’re getting less civility and human decency.”
Rodolfo Rosales, Jr. – Texas LULAC State Director
“Texas LULAC is against Governor Abbott’s plan. He is exceeding his authority as the governor of Texas. This is a national issue, and Governor Abbott is violating the constitution of the United States. He needs to concentrate on the voting public of Texas and stop worrying about federal issues that are not pertinent to the working men and women of Texas.”
Lydia Guzman – LULAC National Immigration Committee Chair
“Let’s call it what it is; nothing more than political posturing. What we need are real solutions to complex problems. This publicity stunt for political purposes does nothing to help the situation. The solution needs to include funding for more border agents that can help process initial asylum applications, staffing within USCIS to help process the backlog of applications already filed, more immigration judges to adjudicate cases, secure, stable housing facilities and shelters, NGOs to help when asylum-seekers are released into the community, embassies that can assist with processing asylum claims from countries of origination, and educational outreach campaigns to educate those wishing to seek asylum on who does or does not qualify and possibilities of applying from home countries.”
About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest Hispanic 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 the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/.
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