Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received backlash after incorrectly claiming that all the victims of the state’s latest mass shooting were “illegal immigrants.”
Discussing the manhunt for fugitive Francisco Oropesa — the man suspected of killing five people after a couple asked him to stop firing his gun in his yard late at night — Abbott announced a $50,000 reward for information on the shooter, “who is in the country illegally and killed five illegal immigrants.”
While officials confirmed that Oropesa was a Mexico native who had been deported multiple times, the husband of one of the victims who helped shield three children from gunfire said his wife was a permanent resident of the United States.
Her permanent resident card, better known as a green card, shows that Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, has been a legal resident of the US since December 2021.
Carlos Eduardo Espina, a local community activist who tweeted a picture of Alvarado’s ID, slammed Abbott’s characterization of the victims.
“I guess to Greg Abbott, anyone who is from another country is an ‘‘illegal immigrant’. Shameful,” he wrote.
Police confirmed that all the victims in the shooting were from Honduras, but have not mentioned their immigration status.
The other victims of Friday night’s deadly shooting were Sonia Guzman, 25, her son Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18, police said.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that Oropesa had been deported four times in the last 14 years, with his last deportation dated July 2016. He also had a DUI conviction from 2012 in Montgomery County.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was slammed for his comments about Friday’s shooting victims. Getty Images
In a tweet announcing a reward for information about the shooter, Abbott referred to all the victims as “illegal immigrants.” Twitter/Gov. Greg Abbott
Diana Velazquez Alvarado was a legal resident of the United States. Twitter/@cespina1998
Wilson Garcia lost his wife and son in the shooting after telling Oropesa to stop firing his gun late at night. AP
Garcia’s son Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, was killed in the massacre. ABC13Many on social media were quick to condemn Abbott, including “Star Trek” actor George Takei, who took to Twitter to slam the Texas governor.
“This is despicable. I would have thought bringing up the immigration status of the innocent victims of this senseless violence would be beneath even you,” he wrote. “But I was wrong.”
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his child in Florida’s Parkland school shooting in 2018, wrote: “On behalf of those like my daughter who are victims of gun violence, F– YOU!!!”
Another Twitter user wrote: “I see Greg never misses an opportunity to gain political points – even during the worst of tragedies.”
Following the backlash, Abbott’s office put out a statement saying: “Any loss of life is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to the families who have lost a loved one. Following the horrific shooting on Friday night, federal officials provided the state of Texas information on the criminal and the victims, including that they were in the country illegally.
Fugitive Francisco Oropesa is a Mexico native who was previously deported four times. ZUMAPRESS.com
Law enforcement staff carry out five bodies from the home in Cleveland, Texas. AP“We’ve since learned that at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally. We regret if the information was incorrect and detracted from the important goal of finding and arresting the criminal.
“The true focus remains on catching this heinous criminal who killed five innocent people and bringing the full weight of Texas law against him.”
Meanwhile, more than 250 law enforcement officers are deployed in the Lone Star State hunting for Oropesa, who remains on the run and is considered armed and dangerous.
Along with Abbott’s $50,000, the FBI is chipping in another $30,000 for any critical intel on Oropesa’s whereabouts, raising the reward to a whopping $80,000.
