LatinoJustice Appalled by Inhumane Treatment of Children and Toddlers at Texas Border
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2023
Press Contact:
Sarai Bejarano, [email protected]
LatinoJustice Appalled by Inhumane Treatment of Children and Toddlers at Texas Border
TX Department of Public Safety Officers Allegedly Denying Migrants Water During 100°+ Heat Wave
Austin, TX – LatinoJustice is looking into reports alleging that, under order of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have been not only denying immigrants along the Texas border water but are pushing children back into the Rio Grande, telling them to return to Mexico.
The following statement can be attributed to Jorge Renaud, National Criminal Justice Director and Director of the Southwest Region and Priscilla Lugo, Justice Advocate Coordinator at LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
"LatinoJustice is appalled by these reports and stands in solidarity with the migrants being affected by these inhumane policies, those providing services to affected migrants, and those reporting what is occurring on the Texas border.
Reports by a whistleblowing DPS trooper indicate that a pregnant 19-year-old woman was found in barbed wire having a miscarriage and that a four-year-old child fainted from exhaustion as they tried to get through the wire. The trooper also alleges that they were ordered to push back a group of 120 people that included small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande and Mexico.
These reports are disturbing on their face, but also because they are the natural consequence of Abbott’s recent actions in Texas. Operation Lone Star has been in full effect in Texas for over two years and the state has continued to deprive migrants of their right to seek asylum and enter the state.
These policies will continue to take the lives of migrants seeking a better life. If the state is truly looking to deter migration, it would push for policies and increased capacity that would allow migrants to present themselves at ports of entry. This treatment and practice of criminalizing migration by the State of Texas MUST end.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit Latinojustice.org