Abbott’s tweet labeling Texas shooting victims ‘illegal immigrants’ was inhumane | Opinion

Social media can be a force for good, but it’s also a medium that produces reflexive reactions to breaking news and not every reaction to an awful story is warranted. In this case, Gov. Greg Abbott’s tweet responding to a horrendous mass killing in the Houston area was wrong. The timing, the substance, and the language — all wrong.

The news was bad enough: Late Friday night, a man in Cleveland, Texas, 55 miles north of Houston, asked a neighbor to stop shooting in his yard, as a baby was trying to sleep. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told TV station KTRK that the gunman, who was inebriated, responded: “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.”

The gunman then stormed into the neighbor’s home and murdered four adults and one child. A manhunt is underway for 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa. To make matters worse, the FBI wrongly labeled a Fort Worth man as the suspect at first, sending out his photo.

On one hand, Abbott’s instinct to respond reaction is understandable: The entire ordeal is horrifying, and the victims are obviously innocent. But unfortunately, Abbott’s choice of language about the victims, identifying them as “illegal immigrants,” is insensitive if not downright dehumanizing. Some could easily read Abbott’s statement, which he tweeted out as well, as discounting the innocent victims because they are in the country illegally.

Abbott’s office later apologized and acknowledged that at least one of the victims appeared to be in the country legally.

Republicans like to say that they promote a culture of life from natural birth to death. They can still take a hard line on immigration and border security, but language and timing matter.

Perhaps, down the road, the victims’ immigration status will be more relevant, especially if there’s some unknown connection to the killer that amplified the threat. It’s fair to note, as some Abbott defenders did, that people here illegally will often avoid police for fear of their immigration status becoming known. But that’s not a concern to be dealt with while the gunman is still on the run. And it’s certainly not relevant to mourning innocent life.

It followed a recent incident in which the governor leaped into a just-completed Austin murder trial, essentially promising a pardon for a convicted killer whose case became a cause on the far right because he claimed that he shot a Black Lives Matter protester in self-defense. A jury didn’t agree, but shortly after Abbott took heat from TV host Tucker Carlson, he offered to short-circuit the state’s pardon system to help the killer.

Someone please tell the governor that, for now at least, Carlson is off the air.

The rise in violent crime risks desensitizing us all, as if some victims somehow deserved their fate or deserve less consideration because of their social status. One can take a hard line on immigration and show compassion for those victimized through no fault of their own.

The fact that Abbott’s language spurred condemnation and debate shows just how distracting the tweet has become. Instead of publishing a general tweet pledging that justice will be done, offering the reward or even just offering condolences, Abbott’s choice has caused everyone to dissect his poorly worded message. It’s a lesson we all have to learn: When in doubt, be quiet.

Abbott can’t control breaking news in Texas, any more than he can control brutal crimes that occur, but he can coordinate and orchestrate his own Twitter account and press releases. He can weigh his own words and statements against others’ opinions and use language that’s accurate and respectful.

We know it’s hard to do in this age of instant news and immediate takes, but it’s a lot more humane and worthy of the governor’s office.