AILA Executive Director Responds to Harmful and Deadly Texas Border Actions

Washington, DC - The Houston Chronicle first reported that Texas State officials were being ordered to actively deny assistance to migrants, including children, and more information has surfaced about the harmful actions taken by the Texas Governor. In response, AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson said:

“I didn’t know there was a way to sink further than the family separation policy perpetrated by the Trump Administration, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken up the mantle of inhumanity and reached a new low in proposing policies designed to cause harm. He has ordered wire strung, and buoys deployed, in a way that will almost certainly increase the number of deaths of migrants, including children. Troopers are being told to deny help to migrants, despite extreme heat. I am encouraged by reports that the Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are taking the matter seriously and hope they take action quickly. I urge Governor Abbott to reconsider and urge Texas state employees and residents to join in the call for these inhumane and deadly tactics to be immediately halted.”