Human Rights
Abbot Threatens Human Rights
By Victor Torres
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas. (Photograph courtesy of Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Greg Abbott is the 48th governor of Texas and has been in office since 2015. Abbott’s term in office has been met with praise for both his successful business and economic policies and criticism for his disregard of both women’s and immigrants' rights. Recently the governor ordered the deployment of buoys on the Rio Grande River at the international border between the U.S. and Mexico featuring a design to injure swimmers that gained national attention. This is just one of many actions he has taken being met with criticism from immigrant rights groups and our current President.
What is happening?
For the past few years, the United States has seen a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment. As a result, there has also been a staggering increase in discriminatory policies from government offices. One of the most prominent examples of this increase has been in Texas, where Governor Abbott has become a leading figure with anti-immigrant rhetoric. Through his actions, he has invoked a state of fear in our nation’s large immigrant population. In one of his latest moves, he placed buoys on an international border, the Rio Grande, to prevent people from crossing into Texas. The buoys are equipped with saw-like blades that could injure or kill any immigrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande. The execution of this policy is unprecedented in the history of border preventative measures. While some policymakers and pundits are praising his “bold” move with the deployment of the buoys, many organizations condemn this policy as clearly inhumane. The Biden Administration was swift to condemn Governor Abbott’s actions. In a statement by White House Spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez stated, “Yet again, Governor Abbott is showing how little regard or respect for human beings.”
This disregard is echoed in Abbott’s dismissive public statements about immigrants. In a radio interview given by Abbott January 5th of this year, he said of Texas’s current border policies: "The only thing that we're not doing is we're not shooting people who come across the border, because of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder." One problem with his statement is that it implies that a murder charge for shooting an unarmed person would be an unreasonable one, and even a political attack instead of justice Another problem is his sarcastic tone shows just how little he cares for the wellbeing of other human beings, due to their legal status.
Since April of 2022 Abbot has been sending busses of immigrants from his state to Washington D.C., New York city, and Chicago leaving it up to these cities to meet the humanitarian needs of this population. In December of 2023 Governor Abbott signed four new bills into Texas law, one of which was “Senate Bill 4.” This bill makes it a crime to smuggle immigrants without residency across the state of Texas, with minimum sentence of two years if caught. Governor Abbott’s actions have put many diligent blue-collar workers in Texas at risk due to their legal status, and many more across the nation as well. Many other policymakers, whether it be other governors, senators, and even a president, have taken note of Abbott’s playbook against immigrants and could replicate both his policies and rhetoric. We need to be aware of who we are voting for in upcoming elections, not only to prevent such dangerous policies but also to shut down any racist rhetoric that harms immigrants and minorities.