Don’t Send Migrants Back to the Border

Target: Texas Governor, Greg Abbott

Goal: Don’t allow Texas law enforcement to return migrants to the border.

Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order allowing for the state’s law enforcement to return migrants to the US-Mexico border. The move has the potential to cause many negative impacts for the immigrant community as well as for Texas’ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

The Republican party has increasingly been turning to harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and laws to gain the support of the radical right, and Abbott himself has been facing pressure from the members of the Texas GOP to invoke the “invasion” powers of the US Constitution, building on unfounded and unconscionable rhetoric of migrants (particularly the so-called “migrant caravans”) “invading” the US. Many Texas Republicans believe invoking US “invasion” powers would allow the state’s National Guard to deport immigrants, a power currently only held by the federal government. Legal experts largely consider rhetoric calling for activating the “invasion” powers, or any move to actually invoke them for these reasons, a political ploy. Now, Abbott has “stopped just shy of fulfilling those requests,” according to the Texas Tribune. To try and avoid a clear-cut legal battle over separation of powers, Abbott has ordered law enforcement to bring migrants to ports of entry, rather than outright expelling them from the country themselves. The move could still be challenged though.

The new procedure could also increase racial profiling. Abbott has already authorized state authorities to arrest immigrants for state crimes such as trespassing. Similar practices in other states have led to an increase in police officers racial profiling and targeting of Latinos (or people who look Latino), as well as other BIPOC individuals who are often thought of as perpetually “foreign” because they are not white. Worse still, Abbott has also not clarified how state authorities would determine who would be selected to be brought to the border. Sign below to call on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to rescind his executive order allowing state authorities to apprehend and bring immigrants to the border.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor Abbott,

The continuing spike of anti-immigrant rhetoric and implementation of laws, or executive orders, explicitly targeting immigrants is a dangerous practice. The Republican Party, yourself included, has been increasingly escalating against migrants in order to gain political support. These practices and the harsh rhetoric used to support them actively harm immigrant and BIPOC communities across the US.

Your new executive order allowing for state law enforcement to bring migrants to ports of entry is not only legally dubious but will very likely increase racial profiling against Texas’ BIPOC communities, particularly Latinos. We’ve seen this play out in states with similar policies targeting immigrants. You must rescind your executive order allowing state authorities to apprehend and bring immigrants to the border.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

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