Press Release: Border Congressmen Slam Trump and Abbott's Visit to South Texas

Press Release

Today, U.S. Border Congressmen Filemon Vela (TX-34) and Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) issued statements in response to former President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott's visit to Weslaco, Texas.

Congressman Filemon Vela: "Governor Abbott and former President Donald Trump are once again trying to draw attention away from their failed leadership. The state of Texas has gone through so much this past year, the pandemic, the massive power outages that resulted in so many lives lost, and now an unemployment rate that is double what we saw before the virus. Instead of prioritizing Texans and making sure we grow our economy and get people back to work, Governor Abbott is creating a distracting media circus with a failed former president.

Let's make one thing clear: the narrative of a violent and insecure border region is blatantly false. The border is not a war zone, and the wall Abbott and Trump are trying to get Texans to pay for is not only a waste of their hard-earned money but also an un-American symbol of hatred that separates and intimidates our communities, harms our wildlife, and encroaches on landowner rights. Americans spoke loud and clear last November when they overwhelmingly voted to oust Donald Trump and his "BUILD THE WALL" mantra. Abbott needs to get the message, drop the antics, and get to work on the issues that matter to Texans."

Congressman Vicente Gonzalez: "Inviting the former President, who incited the January 6th insurrection in an effort to overthrow the government and prevent the peaceful transition of power, is nothing short of a slap in the face to South Texans. And wasting taxpayer dollars to promote the construction of a border wall instead of correcting the failed electrical grid is bad leadership that is further putting Texans' lives at risk.

Instead of coming down to try and divide people by misrepresenting the border community on the national stage, I urge the Governor to work together to enact meaningful policy solutions that will bring real border security. In order for us to stem mass migration, we must look at the three Central American countries people are coming from and make surgical investments that will provide jobs, security and prosperity to encourage migrants to stay home."

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