Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, December 19, Texas Governor Greg Abbott unveiled a new effort from Texas to defend its borders and stop illegal migrants from entering the state. That effort is a billboard campaign that, when paired with the state’s border defense measures, is meant to deter potential illegal immigrants from Central America and Mexico from making the often quite dangerous journey into Texas.
Describing the purpose of the billboards and how they plan on achieving that goal, the office of Gov. Abbott said, “Displaying a few examples of the billboards at the press conference, the Governor shared that over 40 billboards have been strategically placed in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border.”
Continuing, his office provided, “The billboards highlight the dangerous and legal consequences migrants face as they attempt to illegally enter the country and as countless women and children are sexually assaulted by coyotes and smugglers. To reach illegal immigrants coming from all over the world trying to cross into Texas, the billboards are translated into Spanish throughout Central America and Mexico and Arabic, Chinese, and Russian in Northern Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border.”
Speaking about the billboards in his Thursday press conference, Gov. Abbott said that the billboards would deter those migrants flowing in from the southern hemisphere, saying, “Today, we’re here to talk about a new campaign to deter illegal immigration into Texas. Yesterday, we began putting up dozens of billboards throughout Mexico and Central America. ”
Continuing, he framed the billboards as deterring the migrants by showing horror stories about what has happened to those who did what they intended to do. He said, “They give potential illegal immigrants thinking of leaving their home country – and those already on the way – a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they illegally cross into Texas.”
The Texas Governor further noted that the billboards will give those thinking about migrating another opportunity to consider the consequences of putting themselves in the hands of the horrifically violent cartel members and their human traffickers. He said, beginning that part of his point, “These billboards tell the horror stories of human trafficking.”
Continuing with that point, he emphasized that the reality for those who make the journey is quite awful, and that the billboards will remind them of that reality. He said, “They implore those people in Central America to consider the violent, horrific realities of what will happen to the women and children they bring with them.”
He further added that the Lonestar State has fended off illegal immigrants through its border protection program, Operation Lone Star, but that it will be helpful to stop the migration before it even occurs. He said, “Through Operation Lone Star, we have done some incredible work to stop illegal border crossers. But this new effort is about stopping their journey from even beginning in the first place.”
Concluding, he indicated that the state-driven border defense effort will continue at least until the upcoming Trump Administration takes serious action to defend the border, saying, “Until President Donald Trump is back in the White House to secure our border once again, we will continue to take every step necessary to defend Texas.”
Watch him here:
Featured image credit: By World Travel & Tourism Council – Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54703342
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