LULAC Slams Unprecedented Attack Against Latinos By Texas Governor
Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Order to State Troopers Is Blatant and Illegal Racial Profiling
Washington, DC - Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued an executive order that authorizes Department of Public Safety officers across the state to stop, question, turn around, or seize vehicles with passengers who appear Latino. The action was taken, said Abbott, because “President Biden’s refusal to enforce laws passed by the United States Congress cannot be allowed to compromise the health and safety of Texans by knowingly exposing them to COVID- 19.”
“This is clear-cut militarization of Texas against individuals, children, and families by an out-of-control governor who thinks he has unilateral power to do whatever he wants and violate the civil rights of people based solely on appearance or suspicion,” says Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “Racial profiling on steroids is a dangerous and unprecedented act that blatantly crosses the line and should concern all persons who value their freedom,” says Garcia.
The executive order also contains an additional provision that exposes anyone trying to help the migrants left stranded by DPS troopers’ actions to legal consequences and possible arrest. The order states, “No person, other than a federal, state, or local law-enforcement official, shall provide ground transportation to a group of migrants who have been detained by CBP for crossing the border illegally or who would have been subject to expulsion under the Title 42 order.”
“This clause denies due process of law on so many levels,” says Garcia. “First, DPS troopers are not doctors to know if someone has COVID so how do they decide what constitutes reasonable suspicion of a person or persons in a car? Also, this order applies statewide anywhere in Texas, not just in proximity to the border, so law enforcement can now stop and question people in any car solely on their appearance and cite COVID-19 as a pretext to violate our rights. LULAC will not allow Governor Abbott to do this without question or accountability, and neither should Texans who claim to stand for justice and liberty,” adds Garcia.
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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services, and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/