Yesterday a story went viral about the
Young Conservatives of Texas planning a "catch an illegal immigrant" event at the University of Texas.
The event was organized by Lorenzo V. Garcia, Chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas. Greg Abbot's campaign says he is a "former staffer" but it remains unclear on when he left the position.
The backlash was swift, drawing sharp criticism from University of Texas administrators and even the Abbott campaign.
This morning they've had a change of heart:
After denunciations from both major political parties and University of Texas President Bill Powers, the UT chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas has called off a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” event set for Wednesday.
In a statement, Lorenzo Garcia, the group’s chairman, said members were concerned “that the university will retaliate against them and that the protest against the event could create a safety issue for our volunteers.”
Yes, they are now the victims of this event gone horribly wrong. Event organizer Lorenzo Garcia went on to say:
In his statement, Garcia called the gift card offer “misguided” and said the event “was intentionally over the top in order to get attention for the subject.”
Mission accomplished. Congrats on all the attention.