Abbott forgets Texans were once immigrants yearning to become Americans

We once worried about the values of the people of Texas. Their leadership is showing us that worry has not changed.

A girl takes a bite of a nectarine as she sits next to her father Wednesday night, as they wait for a bus outside Union Station to take them to a refugee center.

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

This letter is really a thank you note to Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas.

By sending busloads of newly arrived immigrants from Texas to welcoming cities like Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., he is reminding us that many areas of the nation still believe in the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: ”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” And Mayor Lori Lori Lightfoot was extremely welcoming to these newcomers.

What is ironic about this news story is its place in history. Texas was once a separate nation after winning independence from Mexico in 1836.

The citizens of the Republic of Texas elected Sam Houston as their president, but also endorsed making Texas part of the Union. Congress, however, delayed any formal kind of action for almost a decade because Texas was a slave state and we did not share the same values. Its slaveholding status would upset the delicate balance in Congress and would “overwhelm our communities,” as Abbott has been quoted when referencing immigrants in his state recently. Congress finally annexed Texas in 1844, and the republic officially entered the U.S. in December 1845.

Abbott has forgotten that his whole state was once a group of immigrants yearning to be Americans. Eventually we allowed Texas into our union and they could breathe free. We once worried about the values of the people of Texas. Their leadership is showing us that worry has not changed.

Jan Goldberg, Riverside