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Greg Abbott Continues His Personal Mission To Make Life For Immigrants As Miserable As Possible

by Gabe Ortiz on

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Nationwide, students and their allies have been mobilizing to make their college and university campuses safe for undocumented and DACAmented students, following the election of Donald Trump.

But in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to financially starve any college and university that tries to join their effort. “Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities,” Abbott tweeted yesterday. “I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status.”

It’s no surprise this comes from a man who has spent years trying to make life for immigrants as miserable as possible.

Abbott, along with Judge Andrew Hanen and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, led the charge in blocking DAPA and DACA+, which would have protected up to five million undocumented immigrants with deep ties to the US from deportation. They successfully took that fight all the way to the Supreme Court, which let Hanen’s nationwide injunction stand. And earlier this year, when Abbott’s attempt to completely block any Syrian refugees from resettling in Texas proved unsuccessful, Abbott vindictively pulled the state from the program that helps them. 

There may still be hope for Texas DREAMers though. According to Huffington Post’s Roque Planas, Abbott may not even have the authority to carry out his threat to withhold funding from schools:

State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fisher (D) pointed out that Texas state colleges and universities have multiple sources of funds, including private donations, federal grants and endowments. State money they receive gets appropriated through legislation.

“Whatever money is going to these schools is worked through by the House, Senate and the governor’s office,” Martinez-Fisher told The Huffington Post. “If the governor is going to follow through with his threat to veto funding to universities, he will have only done so with the acquiescence of the House and the Senate, and I doubt that would ever happen.”

Blowback to Abbott’s plan from Texas DREAMers was swift and fierce. See the tweetstorm University of Houston alumni and DREAMer Karla Perez below.