Former President Donald Trump has expressed his intent to stop the use of taxpayer funds for billboards in Texas that offer assistance to the friends and family members of illegal immigrants in federal custody. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) has set up billboards in Texas stating that immigrants in custody have rights and that they are there to help. The OIDO was established in 2019 to aid immigrants with complaints about potential violations of immigration detention standards and provide oversight of immigration detention facilities. However, ICE and Border Patrol sources have expressed anger over the billboards due to ongoing funding pressures amidst the crisis at the southern border.
Trump is not the only politician who has criticized the billboards, as multiple Texas lawmakers have also expressed outrage over the use of taxpayer money to fund them. Representatives Roy and Gonzales have condemned the billboards as prioritizing an open borders agenda over the safety and security of American families. The controversy over the billboards comes during a time when immigration has become a top priority for voters in the upcoming 2024 election, following a significant border crisis that began in 2021. The Biden administration has called for more funding to address what it perceives as a broken immigration system and has advocated for bipartisan border security legislation.
The administration claims that a presidential order issued in June has resulted in a 55% decrease in encounters at the border, although critics have pointed out that this decline follows historic highs of encounters in previous years. Trump has vowed to launch a mass deportation campaign and reinstate border policies from his presidency, such as wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which were terminated by the Biden administration. The billboards have sparked controversy as they are seen as working against immigration enforcement efforts and have been described as insulting by ICE and Border Patrol sources.
Concerns have been raised by politicians, including Rep. Chip Roy and Rep. Tony Gonzales, who argue that the billboards are a preview of legal arguments that radical progressive democrats will use to oppose the deportation of individuals who were allowed into the country under the Biden administration. The use of taxpayer funds for billboards promoting rights for individuals in immigration custody has been met with disapproval as critics believe that the government is spending money on the wrong priorities. Calls have been made for Congress to intervene and halt programs like these that are seen as advancing an open borders agenda at the expense of American families.
