Another Court D efeat for Greg Abbott
After three months of litigation, Presente.org, the Eagle Pass Border Coalition, and the Rio Grande Valley have won a victory for justice and human rights. On Wednesday, September 6, U.S. District Judge David Ezra ordered Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, to remove the buoys he had installed on the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from crossing.These organizations are congratulating themselves. But they do not consider this legal battle won, since Abbott can appeal Judge Ezra’s ruling. Moreover, for now, the ruling only requires the Texas governor to move the buoys to a levee on the Texas side of the river by September 15, not to remove them permanently.
Nancy Treviño, director of Power at presente.org, told Sol de Medianoche of her satisfaction with this “small triumph,” but her optimism is tempered: “The solutions we are seeking at the US-Mexico border require respect for human rights and the protection of the land and the river. We will continue to interrupt dangerous narratives that fuel a tired, hateful, anti-immigrant conversation. It is our duty to stand with border communities and human rights advocates to ensure that these deadly buoys are removed from the river once and for all.” Abbott’s buoys are “a blatant violation of federal law, environmental regulations, and human rights,” Nancy Treviño tells our paper. “Since their placement in the Rio Grande, they have caused irreversible damage to the ecosystem and endangered the lives of migrants and refugees.” “The ruling shows that what Governor Abbott did was an abuse of power. He will appeal and we will continue to fight to make him, and the federal government do their jobs,” said Robie Flores of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition. Presente.org is the nation’s largest online organizing group and the leading digital organizing hub for Latinos. It promotes social justice through technology, media, and culture. Its mission is to empower Latinos, expand the political imagination and traditional boundaries, and foster inspiration for freedom, equality, and justice. The Eagle Pass Border Coalition is a group of community organizers working to empower the Hispanic community and protect its culture. In Alaska, presente.org also conducts digital activism, such as its opposition to the Willow Project. |