Governor Greg Abbott under fire for calling Texas shooting victims ‘illegal immigrants’

Texas Governor Greg Abbott received flak for labelling the victims of Friday's mass shooting in Cleveland, as "illegal immigrants" while offering condolences.

In a statement released on Sunday, Abbott offered a $50,000 reward for information regarding the shooter, who is still on large.

In the same statement, the 65-year-old also pointed out that those who died in the fatal shooting were “illegal immigrants”, and offered his condolences to the families.

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The Republican’s words drew backlash from immigration advocates, state and federal lawmakers, actors and other politicians who pointed out Abbott’s track record of using anti-immigrant rhetoric in the wake of mass shootings.

Many termed his remarks dehumanising, with Democrats claiming that it was an attempt to deflect attention from the role of Republican lawmakers in shaping Texas’s lax gun laws that have created an unsafe environment for residents.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott under fire, calls mass shooting victims 'illegal migrants'

"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. But I was wrong," George Takei, the "Star Trek" actor who lived with his parents in internment camps during World War II, wrote on Twitter.

The gun suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, still remains at large despite a search involving more than 250 police from multiple jurisdictions.

He is accused of shooting and killing five people, including a young child, at a Cleveland, Texas, home after neighbours asked him to stop firing his rifle.

The father of the deceased child told CNN that he and two others had approached the killer’s home asking him to shoot his gun on the other side of his yard because the gunfire was making his baby cry.

But he refused, charged into their home, and opened fire. Later, he fled the scene without leaving a trace, officials said.

Officers have announced a $80,000 bounty for information that leads to the 38-year-old suspect’s arrest.

According to Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered at least 184 mass shootings in the first four months of this year.

More than half of the US states, including Texas, allowing permitless carrying of firearms.

In April, Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law making his state the latest to allow the carrying of firearms without a license or training, less than seven years after a gunmankilled49 people and injured 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

(With inputs from agencies)

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