U.S. immigration courts. It also thrust cer- tain asylum seekers into violent situations, squalid living conditions and other threat- ening scenarios. Abbott and other Texas Republicans have buckled down on their anti-immi- grant rhetoric ahead of November’s mid- terms. The governor recently cautioned against a so-called “caravan” supposedly heading to the border, a notion refuted by immigration experts. He’s also touted his controversial secu- rity initiative Operation Lone Star as neces- sary to keeping the state safe. But some critics have slammed the effort, which has deployed Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard officers to the border, as little more than an expensive and ineffec- tive political exercise. In a March 4 video, Abbott bragged about Patrick Strickland Unfair Park from p4 ▼ IMMIGRATION BORDER BLUES G SEVERAL LOCAL CONSERVATIVE LEADERS HAVE DECLARED AN ‘INVASION’ AT THE TEXAS BORDER, BUT CRITICS SAY THE MOVE COULD CARRY DEADLY CONSEQUENCES. BY SIMONE CARTER athered in front of the press corps in South Texas last Tuesday, a Bap- tist pastor lowered his head and de- livered a solemn prayer. Shortly after whispering “amen,” local leadership from multiple border counties began warning of the “invasion.” Several officials announced last Tuesday afternoon that they have declared an inva- sion at the state’s southern border. Advo- cates say doing so could potentially grant the state broader border powers. Terrell County Judge Dale Lynn Car- ruthers claimed that in May alone, 49 “ille- gals” were apprehended in the pasture behind her house. She then warned that her border community’s some 1,000 residents “live in fear” each day. “I’m here to let you know the invasion is real and that we are doing the best we can with limited manpower,” she said. “Terrell County has the least to offer and the most to lose.” Conservative leaders in Texas and be- yond have ramped up attacks on people crossing the border in recent months. While some say the invasion declaration is neces- sary to safeguard U.S. citizens, critics have widely panned it as a political stunt with po- tentially deadly consequences. Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan is spearheading the officials’ efforts, having led last year’s charge to issue disaster dec- larations at the county level, The Center Square reports. Gov. Greg Abbott later fol- lowed suit and issued disaster declarations for many more. “All strategies remain on the table as 66 Texas continues stepping up in the federal government’s absence,” a spokesperson for the governor said by email last Tuesday. In part, the spokesperson added: “While President Biden ignores the ever-growing Conservatives declare an invasion of undocumented immigrants at the border. humanitarian crisis, and Congressional members visit the border for photo-ops and then return to Washington to do noth- ing, Texas has deployed thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers and spent over $4 billion of Texas taxpayer money to secure our border, including building our own border wall, erecting strategic barriers, and sending significant resources to help our local partners as was mentioned repeatedly in the Brackettville press conference.” But Efrén C. Olivares, immigrant justice deputy legal director for the Southern Pov- erty Law Center, said he “disagrees with the entire framing.” The way he sees it, the “in- vasion” declaration is nothing more than an- other political stunt ahead of the midterm elections. “To refer to anything as an ‘invasion’ … has this militarized connotation to it, as if we are at war with immigrants,” he said. “And even though that might be what some of these anti-immigrant elected officials would like, that is very much not the case.” Olivares said border-crossers are often women and children fleeing persecution, poverty and life-threatening scenarios. They come to the border seeking protection and opportunity. Last week’s “invasion” declaration holds no legal weight, said Laura Peña, the legal director of the Texas Civil Rights Project’s Beyond Borders program. As part of a politi- cal stunt, officials have deployed racist rhet- oric to sow division into the very border communities they’re supposed to protect. “The United States prides itself on our history as a refuge and a nation comprised primarily of immigrants,” she said via email. “There is absolutely no basis in our history for viewing families, children and adults coming to the country to seek protection and opportunity as an ‘invasion.’” In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court de- cided that the current presidential adminis- tration can end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program. The policy forced border- crossers seeking asylum to stay in Mexico while their cases slowly moved through the the one-year anniversary of the endeavor. “Operation Lone Star has apprehended more than 200,000 illegal immigrants,” the governor claimed. “That includes more than 9,000 felony charges and more than 11,000 criminal arrests.” Abbott has pitched himself as a tough- on-immigration politician, one who’s more committed to border security than the fed- eral government is. He recently blamed President Joe Biden for the demise of doz- ens of migrants discovered in an abandoned tractor-trailer in San Antonio. Using the “invasion” rhetoric is problem- atic for how people of color, particularly La- tinos, will be treated in border areas, said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “You’re describing migrants as an enemy of the state, and that’s a little scary,” she said. “You’re essentially demonizing a whole pop- ulation.” This type of rhetoric could potentially lead to more hate crimes and violence against that population, she added. It’s an- other way that conservatives are promoting anti-immigrant sentiments, something that’s even scarier considering the involve- ment of sheriffs and other public officials. Beirich also fears that it could further agi- tate unauthorized paramilitary bodies patrol- ling the border. Officials are essentially feeding them rhetoric that could make them feel more justified in their anti-immigrant actions. The right’s increasing demonization of immigrant groups is a “tragedy,” Beirich said. She thinks of how, back in the ‘80s, then-President Ronald Reagan granted am- nesty to around three million people living here without legal authorization, allowing them to obtain legal status. “The conservatives and the GOP have just become so horrifically anti-immigrant that they don’t sound any different than [former Ku Klux Klan leader] David Duke sounds,” she added. “And I mean that literally.” Immigration policy is a federal matter, so local entities should focus on issues like crime prevention and public safety, Olivares said. More broadly, he argued that there should be an orderly way to come to the United States. A worker shortage is already hurting the country’s economy, yet people continue to get turned away at the border, he said. The economic aspect is just one of many separate issues surrounding the border. “At the end of the day,” Olivares said, “all of these arguments, all of these stunts — like declaring an ‘invasion’ at the border — [are] distracting from engaging in the serious public policy conversations that I think ought to be happening.” ▼ SECESSION OVERTON WINDOW SMASHED W SOME IN THE TEXAS GOP ARE PUSHING FOR SECESSION. EXPERTS SAY “TEXIT” WOULD BE HARD TO PULL OFF. BY SIMONE CARTER edged in the state GOP’s new far- right party platform is the asser- tion that “Texas retains the right to secede.” It’s an idea that some folks, like Texas Nationalist Movement President Dan- iel Miller, have long lusted for. But even though the idea has gone from fringe to somewhat less fringe, experts say it’s nowhere near the realm of possibility. During a recent interview with Common Sense host Anna Perez, Miller argued that “alleged experts” tend to get called on for the secession debate. He continued that these people are usually along the lines of “a third-rate adjunct professor from Bug Tus- sle Community College.” He then insisted that neither the U.S. nor Texas constitutions bar the Lone Star State from becoming a loner nation. “Ultimately, this is a question for the peo- ple of Texas to answer,” the one-time lieu- tenant governor candidate said. “The questions of self-government and self-deter- mination are always left to the people.” Not so, said Dr. Cal Jillson, a political sci- ence professor at Southern Methodist Uni- versity, who’s authored numerous books, chaired SMU’s political science department and served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He called the idea that Texas could feasibly leave the Union “non- sense,” adding, plainly: “The answer is that Miller is wrong.” Jillson explained that after the Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Texas v. White that the Union is perpetual, so states can’t simply leave. The 1869 case also established that there are only two ways for a state to depart. Either all the other states can agree to let the state in question go, or the defector can try once more to fight its way out. “We just squashed you, but you can try it again,” Jillson said, chuckling. “So Mr. Miller had better clean his weapons, be- cause it’s going to be a hell of a fight.” The professor noted that we’ll have to abide by Texas v. White, unless the U.S. Su- preme Court ever overturns it or Congress writes a law that changes the result. It’s also worth mentioning that certain battle tanks could reach the Austin Capitol from Fort Hood in roughly an hour, he said, laughing drily: “Go for it, boys.” If Texas were actually able to leave the U.S. without sparking Civil War II, its inner workings would likely face drastic shifts. Adrian Shelley, Texas office director for the consumer advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen, pointed out that around 10% of the state’s population isn’t connected to >> p8 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JULY 14–20, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com
