Gov. Greg Abbott criticized for calling Texas shooting victims illegal immigrants

Gov. Greg Abbott is drawing sharp criticism after announcing that the five people killed in a grisly shooting Friday night in Cleveland, Texas, were living in the country illegally.

The inclusion of allegations about the victims' immigration status came in an announcement about a $50,000 reward for information on the shooter, who remained at large Monday, the third full day of the manhunt. Officials have accused Francisco Oropesa, 38, of killing the victims, including a 9-year-old boy, after neighbors asked him to stop firing his rifle outdoors.

Abbott's announcement — which he made in a news release Sunday and later in a Twitter post — was viewed by many as insensitive and, in the case of one victim, was not true. A man identifying as an immigrant rights advocate said he spoke with a female victim's husband, who said his wife was a permanent U.S. resident. The advocate posted a copy of a photo ID showing that the woman became a legal resident in 2021.

In response, Abbott's office issued a second statement acknowledging the error.

“We've since learned that at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally," Abbott's office said Monday. "We regret if the information was incorrect and detracted from the important goal of finding and arresting the criminal.”

Abbott noted in the initial statement that the suspected gunman was in the country illegally.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa released a statement Monday condemning Abbott's remarks and imploring him to strengthen the state's gun safety laws.

“There is no limit to the depravity of Greg Abbott and his Texas Republican cronies," Hinojosa said. "To use a mass shooting, in which five innocent souls were slaughtered execution-style — including an 8-year-old — to fearmonger and lie about migrants and the victims’ immigration status … this type of sick behavior is truly beyond the pale."

The statement continued: “Enough is enough. Getting an AR-15 is too damn easy in this state. No one can sensibly say that someone this evil should have been able to get their hands on this gun — or any gun. We need gun safety reform in this state — and we need it right now. We’re in the middle of the legislative session as we speak, there is no excuse. Do your job, Governor. Do something.”

Abbott's announcement Sunday is the latest sign of his frustration with migrants arriving in Texas, whose border towns, he says, are not equipped to accommodate the influx. The issue has put him at odds with President Joe Biden, whom he has repeatedly accused of failing to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and whose administration he often blames for a rise in fentanyl trafficking and deaths.

The governor in 2021 increased law enforcement's presence at the border through Operation Lone Star, the controversial crackdown that is slated to cost taxpayers $4.6 billion over the next two years. The program has drawn scrutiny for loading migrants onto buses and sending them to large cities led by Democrat officials who have sparred with Abbott on immigration matters.

In a letter Sunday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Abbott to stop busing migrants to her city, calling the move “inhumane” and “dangerous.”

“Chicago is a welcoming city and we collaborate with county, state, and community partners to rise to this challenge, but your lack of consideration or coordination in an attempt to cause chaos and score political points has resulted in a critical tipping point in our ability to receive individuals and families in a safe, orderly, and dignified way,” Lightfoot wrote in the letter.

In an effort to stem the tide of migrants arriving at the Texas-Mexico border, Abbott is likely to support legislation moving through the state Legislature to establish a Border Protection Unit, which would allow regular citizens to patrol the border and assist law enforcement officials in deterring illegal crossings.

Last week, a Texas House committee approved the proposal, House Bill 20, and it now awaits consideration from the full House. If the bill sbecome law it would almost certainly be challenged in the courts because the U.S. Constitution assigns border security to the federal government, not individual states.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas governor blasted for calling shooting victims illegal immigrants