Monica De La Cruz says the photo shows kids celebrating a Longhorns win
Monica De La CruzUnited States representative giving a statement to a news outlet
De La Cruz said the photograph showed only students celebrating a win, and said she is willing to condemn racism wherever it comes from.
“All I see in that photograph is a group of kids celebrating a Longhorns win. What can be more Texan than that?”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was Bo French’s UT Austin post racist?
After the University of Texas football team’s September 12, 2026 comeback win over Ohio State, Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French posted a still image of apparent South Asian fans and called what it showed a “problem.” He later said social media was exposing Americans being displaced by foreigners and accused UT of prioritizing foreigners over Texans. French and several supporters framed the posts as a legitimate criticism of immigration and admissions policy. Republican and Democratic officials, along with other commentators, condemned the use of the fans’ appearance as racist or xenophobic. Governor Greg Abbott rejected French’s interpretation of the image while reaffirming support for restrictive immigration policies.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Politico report timestamped 5:00 AM ET on September 15, 2026. It states that no Republican explicitly called for French to drop out, that Dan Patrick did not respond to a request for comment, and that two students in the photo told the Dallas Morning News they are US citizens.
Before the quotation
De La Cruz faces a difficult reelection in a Hispanic-majority district. Politico reported Texas Republicans were worried about the effect of French's rhetoric on races down the ballot.
After the quotation
She went on to criticise her Democratic opponent, Bobby Pulido, over his past racial comments.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The conduct under scrutiny is French's use of the image as evidence of a problem. De La Cruz rejects that reading and, in the same statement, says she will condemn racism whatever its source.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseRosenthal calls donations a rejection of French
“The people are rejecting this bold, racist campaign of his.”Read statement
Krishnamoorthi calls French’s UT fan post a xenophobic attack
“The Department of Education seems to be playing dog whistles to Bo French’s tune just days after his xenophobic attack on South Asian students for cheering for their own college football team. South Asian Americans are as American as anyone.”Read statement
French says his UT fan posts were about culture, not race
“It’s fair to say that Texas doesn’t look and feel like it did when I was a kid, and that’s not racist.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Monica De La Cruz says the photo shows kids celebrating a Longhorns win
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/743-de-la-cruz-said-the-photograph-showed-only
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Monica De La Cruz says the photo shows kids celebrating a Longhorns win". First published: 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16. https://disputeindex.com/events/743-de-la-cruz-said-the-photograph-showed-only