A group of more than two dozen Hispanic Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding an investigation into the “cruel” immigration policies implemented in Texas under Gov. Greg Abbott.
In a letter addressed on Tuesday, 28 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called on the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to open an investigation into the Texas Department of Public Safety regarding its practice of separating fathers from their family members as they seek to cross the Rio Grande section of the border. The Democrats demanded “immediate” action to halt the policy and quickly reunite immigrants with their wives and children.
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“This appears to be an attempt by Governor Greg Abbott to reinvent cruel and unpopular policies of the previous Trump Administration and is a blatant contradiction to the Biden Administration’s efforts to keep families together,” lawmakers wrote. “We urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reunite these families and ensure that the families’ immigration cases proceed together.”
The letter comes in response to Operation Lone Star, a joint operation implemented by Abbott in March 2021 to increase border security and combat illegal immigration. However, the policy has prompted criticism from several Democrats who say the state’s practices have “escalated to human rights abuses.”
The group cited instances in which the Texas DPS installed buoys with nets and wire barriers along the Rio Grande to prevent immigrants from crossing the river. As a result, those installations have made it difficult for immigrants to cross, “forcing people to cross through deep and dangerous points in the river,” the letter states.
Lawmakers also pointed to circumstances in which Texas officials “have been ordered” to push immigrants back into the Rio Grande while denying immigrants drinking water despite “the sweltering heat.”
“Governor Abbott’s escalating political stunts are not only inhumane and unacceptable but also deadly,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter builds on previous efforts by Hispanic Democrats calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection to cease cooperation with the Texas DPS. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) made the plea during a recent visit to the border town of Eagle Pass last week.
It’s not yet clear whether the departments will open an investigation into the matter, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sidestepped a question on whether the Biden administration would step in to respond during a press briefing on Monday.
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“It is unfortunate that [Abbott] continues to do this,” she said. “It doesn’t just put, sadly, young migrants, or migrants, at risk, but it also puts at risk the Border Patrol who are trying to do their job, and he gets in the way of that every day.”
Spokespeople for the DOJ and DHS have not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
