Abbott Slammed For Highlighting Immigration Status Of Mass Shooting Victims

AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 31: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Gov. Abbott held a meeting and news conference in preparation for the winter storm that is swee... AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 31: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference on January 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Gov. Abbott held a meeting and news conference in preparation for the winter storm that is sweeping across portions of Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sparked outrage after he responded to a Friday mass shooting by highlighting the immigration status of the five victims – and getting it wrong, too.  

“I’ve announced a $50K reward for info on the criminal who killed 5 illegal immigrants Friday,” Abbott tweeted on Sunday alongside a statement that read, “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the five victims that were taken in this senseless act of violence.”

Abbott’s remarks came shortly after the suspected gunman — now thought to be a man named Francisco Oropesa — shot and killed five people, including an 8-year-old boy, after neighbors asked him to stop firing his AR-15-style weapon in the air, according to reports.

Abbott also referred to the suspected gunman as someone “who is in the country illegally” when announcing a reward for information leading to his capture.

Police have identified the victims of the shooting as 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman, 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez and eight-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso. 

The former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro — among others  — criticized Abbott for his comments.

“Five human beings lost their lives and Greg Abbott insists on labeling them ‘illegal immigrants,'” Castro tweeted on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a community organizer and immigrant rights activist Carlos Eduardo Espina tweeted on Sunday claiming that at least one of the victims was a permanent resident of the U.S.

Espina also attached a photo of Velazquez Alvarado’s permanent resident card as proof.

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Notable Replies

  1. This part of the story seems underreported to me

    Garcia called the police after Oropeza rejected his request. The man shot some more, and now it sounded louder. In the neighborhood of homes on 1-acre lots, Garcia could see the man on his front porch but couldn’t tell what he was doing.

    His family continued to called police – five calls in all, Garcia said. Five times the dispatcher assured that help was coming.

    I have heard multiple people commenting that they should have called police so I thought I would throw that out there. Complete story here

  2. Avatar for debg debg says:

    There’s no limit to Abbott’s disgracefulness. What a disgusting thing to do.

  3. Seems like a perfect illustration of “othering” for people who can’t grasp the term. Don’t know who I’m more disgusted with – Abbott or the people who elect him.

  4. Every piece of garbage that voted for this worthless scumbag shares culpability. We’re long past the plausible deniability of people who can say, “Well I had no idea he had those kinds of thoughts” when it comes to Abbott. Same goes for Pazzuzu’s Sow from Georgia.

  5. People in their rural town north of Houston are used to people firing their weapons to blow off steam…

    Gimme a fucking break.

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