For Immediate Release
July 19, 2023
Contact:
Arianna Rosales, arosales@nipnlg.org
Washington, DC–Earlier this week, the Houston Chronicle reported that Texas DPS troops received instructions to push children into the Rio Grande and deny water to asylum seekers even amid extreme heat. The story also detailed multiple cases where migrants were trapped and injured by barbed wire set along the border.
In response to these reports, Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project, said:
We are appalled by these reports of cruel and deadly treatment of migrants at the Texas border. For years, Governor Greg Abbott has been steadily working to increase the criminalization and inhumane treatment of migrants and people of color at the border and throughout the state of Texas with illicit programs and policies like Operation Lone Star.
The responsibility to push back on this unthinkable cruelty lies on all of us. Left unchecked, these hateful policies and inhumane treatment will only escalate. We urge the Biden administration to swiftly investigate these actions and take concrete steps to address the inhumanity and suffering Governor Abbott is creating at the Southern border.
As a nationwide membership organization, the National Immigration Project is committed to continuing to support its members and partners in Texas as they fight for policies that are rooted in dignity and respect for all people, no matter their country of origin.
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The National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who are driven by the belief that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those who bear the brunt of racist criminal and immigration systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow NIPNLG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @NIPNLG.