Billboard advertising in Texas warns migrants about rape if they cross the US-Mexico border

Billboard advertising in Texas warns migrants about rape if they cross the US-Mexico border

Texas is installing threatening billboards warning migrants that they could be kidnapped or raped if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

The billboards put up this week are part of a new campaign to deter migrants from entering Texas illegally 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 thinking about leaving their home country – and those already on the way – a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they do enter Texas illegally.”

Some billboards carry clear warnings, including: “How much did you pay to rape your daughter?”; “Many girls who try to immigrate to Texas will be kidnapped” and “your wife and daughter will pay for the journey with their bodies.” Others warn migrants that they will be arrested and detained 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 posted in several countries in Central America and along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Our goal now and immediately is not only to stop them from coming, but also to help them understand the consequences,” Abbott said.

The governor of Texas has long been at odds with the Biden administration over the influx of migrants into his state. Abbott has resorted to outrageous tactics to draw attention to illegal border crossings, including busing migrants from Texas to blue cities across the country – an effort he will continue even as the number of migrants crossing the southern border into the country increases Entering the country has declined.

As illegal immigration emerged as a top concern for voters this election year, President Joe Biden introduced tougher immigration policies, prompting backlash from immigrant rights advocates. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in its annual report released Thursday that the number of deportations carried out last year was higher than in any 12-month period since 2014.

Hovering over the 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 a number of Republican lawmakers, including Abbott, have begun introducing measures to support the president-elect in his eager deportation plans.

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