Texas is installing ominous billboards warning migrants they could be kidnapped or raped if they make the journey to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
The billboards, which began going up this week, are part of a new campaign to deter migrants from illegally entering Texas before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Thursday. The campaign, he said in a press release, is intended to “give potential illegal immigrants who are considering leaving their home countries – and those already en route – a realistic picture of what will happen to them during their journey or if they become illegal Entering Texas. .”
Some billboards carry stark warnings, including: “How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?”; ‘Many girls who try to migrate to Texas are kidnapped’; and ‘Your wife and daughter will pay for the journey with their bodies.’ Others warn migrants they will be arrested and jailed at the border.
The campaign will cost about $100,000, Abbott said. The messages will be displayed in different languages and the signs will be installed in several countries in Central America and along the US-Mexico border.
“Our goal at this point is not just to discourage them from coming, but to help them understand the consequences,” Abbott said.
The governor of Texas has long clashed with the Biden administration over the influx of migrants into his state. Abbott has resorted to outrageous tactics to make a point about illegal border crossings, including busing migrants from Texas to blue cities across the country — an effort he has vowed to continue even as numbers soar migrants entering the country through the southern border have decreased.
As illegal immigration became a major concern among voters this election year, President Joe Biden instituted stricter immigration policies, sparking opposition from immigration rights advocates. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in its annual report released Thursday that the number of deportations carried out last year is higher than any 12-month period since 2014.
Looming over this issue is Trump’s promise to carry out the largest mass deportation in the country’s history when he returns to the White House. And some Republican lawmakers, including Abbott, have begun introducing measures to help the president-elect with his zealous deportation plans.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
