Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott revealed Thursday that he's behind a series of billboards in Mexico and Central America aimed at dissuading migrants from heading north to the U.S.
The $100,000 multilingual billboard campaign is designed to curb illegal immigration across the Lone Star State's southern border by showing "the horror stories of human trafficking."
Newsweek reported that one of the new signs says, "How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?" while another reads, "Many girls who try to migrate to Texas are kidnapped.”
At a press conference unveiling the billboards, Abbott said it was important to showcase the reality of the dangers migrants face on the road.
"These billboards tell the horror stories of human trafficking," Abbott said Thursday. "They implore those people in Central America to consider the violent, horrific realities of what will happen to the women and children they bring with them."
Abbott frequently has criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for not doing more to secure the southern border and stop the flow of illegal immigrants from pouring into the state.
According to Newsweek, Abbott told reporters gathered at the border ranch where he spoke Thursday that the burned trees they were surrounded by were "rape trees," where migrant women had been sexually assaulted by traffickers.
At the press conference on her property, rancher Kimberly Wall spoke of the migrant women and children who had been attacked and killed there.
"It makes you terrified to go out of your own house and enjoy your own property,” Wall said. "I know my husband has found three different 'rape trees' and burned them down. You don't know if you'll be attacked by one of the men hiding in the brush. We all want a better life for everybody."
Texas Association Against Sexual Assault CEO Rose Luna recalled "heartbreaking" stories from migrant women who had been sexually assaulted on their way to the United States.
"There is a largely unspoken sexual assault crisis impacting women and children migrating to the Texas border ... Acknowledging this issue and its profound impact on survivors is not just crucial — it is our responsibility," Luna said.
The billboards have been put up in a number of different languages, including Spanish, Russian, and Chinese, according to Newsweek.
The governor also reportedly touted the work of his Operation Lone Star, which includes deploying buoys in the Rio Grande, constructing more border wall and sending state troopers out to arrest illegal immigrants caught crossing into the U.S. between official ports of entry.