LULAC To President Biden: Stop The Governors From Six States
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Urges Use of Executive Action to Stop Outside National Guard Troops and Texas State Officers at US-Mexico Border
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) sent President Biden an unprecedented letter July 4th which was delivered to the White House on Sunday. LULAC is urging the president to use executive authority, and order an immediate stop to the illegal use of state law enforcement officers and National Guard soldiers being sent to the Texas-Mexico border from Arizona, Nebraska, Idaho, Florida and South Dakota. Also being deployed are state police from Texas.
“We told the President in no uncertain terms, this is an insurrection by recalcitrant and rebellious states that must be stopped,” says Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “This unilateral action by governors hijacks the Emergency Assistance Management Compact (EMAC) and involves our armed forces in a “pay for hire” scheme, funded in part by private donations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former President Trump just days ago, in their so-called ‘visit’ to the border, are still fomenting dangerous racial hatred targeting Latinos including refugees, asylum seekers, even U.S. citizens who live in the border region. LULAC cannot say strongly enough that this militia action must be dealt with before it spreads,” adds Garcia.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced this past week that a private donor was funding dozens of National Guard troops being sent to Texas from her state. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says his state’s force began operations today with “specialized equipment” and includes officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“This is insane!” says Rodolfo Rosales, Jr., Texas LULAC State Director. “We are being invaded by governors of the defeated confederacy to arm the border against brown women and children escaping political persecution, hunger, and death. These governors are using the sacred chain of command to mobilize forces meant to defend us from military invasion by a foreign nation, as mercenaries to save white people from the brown threat,” says Rosales.
The LULAC letter reminds President Biden of the deadly mass shooting two years ago that claimed 23 lives and left two-dozen others wounded at an El Paso Walmart by an armed gunman targeting ‘Mexicans’. Garcia writes, “…hate crimes have become rampant against Latinos and Asian Americans. We need federal intervention now, to stop the militarization by words and start acting on the immigration issue.”
###
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/