Texas Attorney General Calls Shooting Part of Biden's 'Plan'

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said a mass shooting last week is part of the Biden administration's "plan."

Francisco Oropeza, 38, is suspected of shooting and killing five people in Cleveland, Texas, who lived next door after reportedly being asked by the neighbor to stop shooting his gun so their baby could sleep.

As of Tuesday, the Hispanic suspect—who was identified by ICE due to being deported four previous times before the recent tragedy took place—remains at large and is considered by authorities to be armed and dangerous.

The victims were Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Obdulia Molina Rivera, 31; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman, 9, according to ABC News.

"The Biden administration will never take responsibility for the fact that this is part of what their plan is," Paxton said during a Newsmax interview in the shooting's aftermath. "They realize that a certain number of crimes are going to occur—a large number of crimes across the country—and it's an acceptable consequence for them to have what they want, which is more illegal immigration."

The Biden administration knows such situations will happen and "don't take responsibility for it," Paxton added, referring to illegal immigrants with criminal histories.

"They blame it on guns, and the reality is I'm blaming it on them," he said. "They're the ones that allowed this person back in."

Newsweek reached out to Paxson via phone and email for comment.

A total of 16 individuals were reportedly occupying the residence allegedly invaded by Oropeza, according to the Houston Chronicle. At one point on Sunday, over 250 law enforcement officials from local, state and federal agencies joined the manhunt.

During a White House press briefing on Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden and his wife were grieving the lives lost. She added that prayers "are not enough."

"The majority of Americans and the majority of gun owners support common sense measures to reduce gun violence," Jean-Pierre said. "The president continues to believe that Congress must act without delay."

Texas Congressman Chip Roy, during an interview Monday with Fox News, said the loss of life is tragic but "preventable."

"What are we doing in the most powerful country in the history of the world? We're allowing this to occur?" Roy said. "It's all largely preventable if we would just reclaim operational control of our [southern] border."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted following the shooting, announcing "a $50K reward for info on the criminal who killed 5 illegal immigrants Friday."

A community note was added to Abbott's tweet, suggesting that one of the victims was a legal U.S. citizen.

David Abraham, an immigration and citizenship professor at the University of Miami, told Newsweek in a phone conversation that deported individuals are typically barred from reentering the U.S. for three years, and repeat offenders can often be barred for as long as 10 years.

"As a factual matter, it's always been the case that people who have been deported have managed to sneak back in," Abraham said. "There's nothing new about that."

He said Paxton "may be more concerned about the proliferation of weapons in Texans' hands" based on his comments, adding that there's no evidence to suggest that immigrants, either documented or undocumented, are more inclined to commit crimes—including violent crimes—than any native person or citizen.

"It is a crass, if not outrageous, effort to take advantage of an individual criminal act to imply that this is being done intentionally as some kind of plan," he said. "If this were a plan, it would be a foolish and ridiculous one to flood the country with dangerous people, to what end?"

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S., condemned Abbott's remarks.

"LULAC firmly believes that every human being, regardless of their immigration status, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," said Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas LULAC state director, in a statement. "We advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the issue's complexities while upholding the fundamental values of compassion, justice, and fairness. Governor Abbott should apologize immediately for his callousness."

A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published in March found that four in 10 U.S. adults say the level of immigration and asylum-seekers should be lowered. About two in 10 want the numbers higher.

Update 05/02/23, 3:38 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from David Abraham.