Despite mass opposition from border residents and civil rights groups, HB7 now heads to the Texas Senate.
La Unión del Pueblo Entero condemns the passage of Texas House Bill 7. The bill, authored by border Rep. Ryan Guillen, expands the rogue immigration enforcement by the state of Texas. In the final hours, the bill also adopted the creation of a “Border Protection Unit,” which raised red flags among civil rights groups across the state.
In response, Dani Marrero Hi, director of communications, said:
“For months, LUPE members and border residents have advocated relentlessly against HB7 and HB20 due to the threat these policies pose to immigrant families who live in the Rio Grande Valley and those who are seeking safety at our border. We strongly condemn the passage of this House bill that treats the border as a war zone and invests in militarization, policing, and surveillance of immigrant families.
We are particularly dismayed at Rep. Ryan Guillen’s failure to meet with his constituents throughout this process. LUPE members attempted to meet with the representative twice— once in Rio Grande City and once in Austin— only to be locked out and ignored by his office. Instead of giving LUPE members a dignified response for having traveled more than 10 hours to meet with him, Rep. Guillen waited to advance HB7 in the middle of the night, effectively squashing his constituents rights to have their voices heard.
Border residents deserve transparent leadership that defends our values and protects working families, not elected officials who cater to political theater and extremist groups. We will continue to monitor and advocate against this bill in the Texas Senate.”
On May 9, LUPE members alongside allies from Grassroots Leadership, Never Again Coalition, Texas Civil Rights Project, and other civil rights groups protested at the Texas Capitol against HB20 and HB7. Led by LUPE members, protestors held a banner at the Capitol’s rotunda that read “End family separations, vote no on HB20 and HB7”. Border residents then attempted twice to enter the office of Rep. Ryan Guillen to voice their opposition. After being allowed inside, border residents waited in Guillen’s office for nearly three hours in hopes of speaking to the representative about their concerns. Guillen’s staff eventually kicked out the group without offering additional information.
It was the second time LUPE members were snubbed by Rep. Guillen. On May 2, members attempted to deliver a letter at his Rio Grande City office, only to be locked out and forced to slide the letter under the door.