Abbott and the Roman Soldiers

By Elket Rodriguez

The Roman soldiers who put the crown of thorns on Jesus knew that it was wrong and insulting. They also knew that Jesus was being crucified for claiming to be the Messiah, highlighting that neither Caesar nor Herod were the sons of God. And yet, at the end of the day, there was no way to prevent the Kingdom of heaven from being at hand.

Jesus’ death represented a clash to the loyalties of the political order of its time, and as history demonstrates, of future human dominions. Likewise, the world has witnessed Gov. Greg Abbott put the crown of thorns on Jesus when he decided to add razor wires and buoys in and around the Rio Grande to deter migrants crossing U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas – across the Rio Grande from Piedras Negras, Mexico.

If we take Matthew 25:35-46 at face value, as a direct word of Jesus, then Abbott is not welcoming the stranger. He is acting like a goat, cutting the Jesus that is showing up at the border or turning a blind eye to the Moses at the river, or he’s acting like the soldiers who gladly put the crown of thorns on Jesus. Placing a crown of thorns on a crucified person only has the purpose of humiliation, just like razor wires or buoys at the end of a long and desperate journey.

The same kinds of sharp edges that lacerated Jesus allegedly claimed the lives of 2 people, have cut dozens of migrants, including children and pregnant women, especially one who had a miscarriage. This cutting side of Lone Star has been so cruel that even neighbors and politicians in Eagle Pass, Texas – across the river from Piedras Negras, Mexico and where the buoys are concentrated– are tired of the bloody human picture that characterizes the latest iteration of the policy. Also, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety email, troopers have been told to push children into the Rio Grande and deny water to migrants.

Aren't there other less cruel ways to prevent migrants from crossing? Hasn't $10 billion been spent on the operation alone to make it more humane and cost-effective? It is more expensive to treat injured migrants or transport them to hospitals than to treat them without any injuries. In addition, these new barriers risk the lives of those immigration officers who rescue migrants at risk.

For the record, I am not criticizing the legitimacy of creating mechanisms to manage border crossings. Honest people can have discussions about its effectiveness. But to put the lives of migrants who are crossing the border without weapons in order to make their journey so much bloodier with the purpose of deterring their entry into the richest country in the world is beyond comprehension.

All this, as if it were not enough that many of these migrants have already suffered losses, traumas, and atrocities at the hands of criminal organizations. As if it was not enough, putting their lives at risk when they cross the Darien jungle.

These buoys and razor wires are not a deterrence to any migrant who has already journeyed thousands of miles. These buoys and razor wires are not sending a deterrence message to any migrant. These buoys and razor wires only show the level of bad faith and cruelty to which the Texas governor is willing to succumb to show that he holds the crown of thorns.

Yes, Governor, you have blood on your hands. The type of blood you can't wash your hands of like Pilate. The Kingdom of Heaven is not in you, no matter how many photos you take with as many religious leaders as you want. You also do not represent the best values and aspirations of Texans, regardless of religious or political affiliation and ideology.

Politicizing humiliation and cruelty in a democratic and constitutional system is not a legitimate strategy, but an act of the darkness of the soul. And, as long as there is no repentance, the loss of lives because of these buoys and razor wires are at your expense.

You still have time to correct course. The buoy is in your court.