A San Juan nonprofit is heading to Austin and Washington this week to advocate for immigrants and farm workers.
Members of La Union Del Pueblo Entero will join other nonprofits, including Border Network for Human Rights and Texas Civil Rights Project, on Tuesday and Wednesday in Austin to testify against Operation Lonestar and call on Texas legislators to halt the program.
“Operation Lonestar has been disastrous, has cost human lives, and is a waste of public resources,” Joaquin Garcia, director of organizing at LUPE, said. “This state-created immigration enforcement system disguised as a state criminal system threatens to embolden states and localities along the border to initiate similar discriminatory programs.”
Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lonestar in March 2021 in response to a rise in illegal immigration. The initiative, however, has been highly criticized by immigration advocates.
“Through this state program, Texas law enforcement officers target migrants for arrest, jailing, and criminal prosecution for the state criminal offense of “trespassing,” based on their perceived race and national origin, including immigration status,” a news release from LUPE said.
LUPE members will also head to Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday to lobby for changes to the agricultural industry.
Members and farm workers will join the United Farm Workers and Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noreste to ask Congress to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.
The bipartisan legislation would provide undocumented farm workers and their immediate family members legal immigration status and a path to citizenship.
“The unspoken heroes keeping our nation’s food supply secure are the farm workers and their families,” Lupe Executive Director Juanita Valdez-Cox said. “Farm workers are at the forefront of keeping food on our tables in every zip code in the U.S., and they deserve protections. As Thanksgiving approaches, we can thank farm workers by passing this legislation to honor their humanity, hard work, and critical contributions.”
