Abbott rejects French’s reading of the image
Governor of Texas responding to a request for comment from CBS News Texas.
“That is not my message. A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory-ever-actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams. The way we win the state is the same way we win football games. We unite under the brand of Texas. That doesn't mean that Texas cannot also lead in having the toughest immigration laws of any state in America and freezing H1B visas at our universities.”
The full case
Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
Source and context
Reporting
CBS Texas reports on Bo French’s posts and responses from Greg Abbott and R.C. Damle (opens in a new tab)Statements attributed to Greg Abbott and R.C. Damle and verification of the image’s source.
About this source
Original local reporting that verified the still came from an official Texas Athletics video and published Abbott’s direct response.
Before the quotation
CBS News Texas asked Abbott to respond to French’s use of the crowd image.
After the quotation
Abbott’s response separated a unifying interpretation of the football crowd from his immigration and university visa policies.
How this statement is classified
Abbott challenges French’s characterization of the pictured fans but does not expressly condemn the act of posting the image; he preserves an adjacent restrictive immigration-policy position.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Bo French
More from this case
Read the full case“Bo French’s xenophobia should force Republicans to confront the prejudice in their ranks.”Read statement
“But what the people who tend to side with French are saying is that this is not at all what's happening, and they're right, too. This isn't natural immigration happening here. It's happening at such a rapid pace that the percentage of Indians arriving in places like North Texas is rising by leaps and bounds, and as it does, the culture shifts dramatically.”Read statement
“It’s not about race. It’s about policy, Mark. I believe we should be prioritizing Americans, not foreigners. The problem, as I see, that there are, and I think a lot of people agree with this, too many of our institutions are prioritizing people who are not Americans.”Read statement