HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott announced today a plan to deter immigrants from arriving at the Texas-Mexico border, including using local law enforcement to arrest and jail people crossing the border and building a border wall.
The following quote can be attributed to Kate Huddleston, staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas:
“Gov. Abbott’s plan is unlawful and threatens to once again rip families apart at the border, causing untold harm. As we saw under President Trump, separating families by prosecuting parents creates lasting trauma for vulnerable young children and for their parents. Abbott is also undermining the right to seek asylum by jailing those fleeing danger and punishing them for seeking refuge in the U.S. Additionally, Abbott’s proposed border wall will harm border communities and the environment. In this plan, Abbott is yet again scapegoating immigrants in an effort to distract from his own failures in governing and managing actual crises in Texas — like the historic winter storm that led to the deaths of more than 150 Texans — with cruel results.”
