Drowning victims: Human cost of MAGA political stunts to politicize the border
“3 migrants drown after Texas blocks feds from part of Rio Grande” – WaPo
Where is Shelby Park? Eagle Pass? Who were the drowning victims? Why couldn’t the U.S. Border Patrol help the victims? Follow the MAGA politics of scoring political points at the cost of human lives with this StoryMap.
Texas National Guard prevented U.S. Border Patrol from helping migrants in distress
“U.S. Border Patrol agents knew that a group of six migrants were in distress in the river but could not try to save them, as they normally would, because troops from the Texas National Guard and the Texas Military Department prevented the Border Patrol agents from entering the area where they were struggling: Shelby Park, a 47-acre public park that offers access to a frequently traveled part of the river and is a place where Border Patrol agents often encounter migrants crossing the border illegally.
They could not enter because two days ago, on Thursday, Texas governor Greg Abbott sent armed Texas National Guard soldiers and soldiers from the Texas Military Department to take control of Shelby Park. Rolando Salinas, the mayor of Eagle Pass, posted a video on Facebook showing the troops and saying that a state official had told him that state troops were taking “full control” over Shelby Park “indefinitely.” Salinas made it clear that “[t]his is not something that we wanted. This is not something that we asked for as a city.” – Letters From An American
MAGA politics of creating crisis but doing nothing to help solve them
“Abbott and MAGA Republicans are teeing up the issue of immigration as a key line of attack on President Joe Biden in 2024, but while they are insisting the issue is so important they will not agree to fund Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s 2022 invasion until it is solved, they are also unwilling to participate in discussions to fund more border officers or immigration courts.
Today, once again, Biden reminded reporters that he has asked Congress to pass new border measures since he took office, but rather than pass new laws, Republicans appear to be doubling down on pushing the idea that migrants threaten American society and that an individual state—Texas, in this case—can override federal authority.
Abbott has spent more than $100 million of Texas tax dollars to send migrants to cities led by Democrats. These migrants have applied for asylum and are waiting for a hearing; they are in the U.S. legally. In September 2023, Texas stopped coordinating with nonprofits in those cities that prepared for migrant arrivals.”
“We are asking you to help prevent additional deaths. We should be able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to urge Congress to act. But right now, we are talking about human beings and their survival. I hope we can at least agree on saving lives right now.” – J.B. Pritzker
Take Away: Call Abbott to remind him that Christians don’t let other people drown to score political points.
Deepak
DemLabs
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Image Credit: The photo of 3-year-old Alan’s small body on a Turkish beach became a symbol of the refugee crisis. It symbolizes the MAGA aggravated crisis on the Southern border.
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Reposted from Democracy Labs with permission.
