Human Rights First Denounces Abbott’s Anti-Immigrant Cruelty, Urges Halt to Operation Lone Star

WASHINGTON – With new reports of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s latest extreme anti-immigrant actions, Human Rights First again called on the Biden administration to take action to halt Texas’ deadly Operation Lone Star and to bring justice for those harmed by its unlawful tactics.

“Family separation, barbed wire across the Rio Grande, and a chain of buoys with saws attached are extreme violations of human rights that have no place in any immigration policy and likely violate federal laws. The federal government must step in and stop Governor Abbott’s xenophobic, unlawful, and deadly campaign to ensnare and inflict harm on immigrants,” said Human Rights First’s CEO and President Mike Breen. “The governor’s Operation Lone Star portrays immigrants as ‘invaders’ when they are not. These are people, often families, many fleeing danger for the relative safety of our country and exercising their legal right to seek protection and save their lives. Instead of playing into the politics of bigotry, creating chaos, and threatening lives, this situation demands effective, legal, and humane solutions for the reception of people arriving at our borders.”