MCALLEN, Rio Grande Valley — A national advocacy group has launched a new billboard campaign across major transportation corridors in South Texas, aimed at drawing public attention to the impact of federal immigration enforcement actions on local border communities.
America’s Voice announced the rollout of billboards carrying the message "STOP THE VIOLENCE" as part of an $8,800, five-state effort running across Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Minnesota, and Iowa. In the Rio Grande Valley, the advertisements have been placed at two high-traffic locations along US Highway 83:
The campaign highlights immigration enforcement encounters that have occurred across the country over the past 18 months, pointing to specific fatal incidents in Texas. Among them are the cases of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 35-year U.S. resident and construction business owner shot in Houston while picking up his crew, and Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen killed on South Padre Island.
Advocates with the organization argue that broad enforcement tactics—including unbadged enforcement operations and neighborhood raids—have created widespread disruption in border-area communities and working-class neighborhoods across the state.
The ad push comes as recent public opinion polling reflects growing fatigue with aggressive deportation strategies. According to a recent NBC News poll cited by the organization, two-thirds of Latino voters believe current deportation policies have gone too far, while 69% express disapproval of current immigration oversight. Data compiled by Politico also indicates that non-MAGA voters outside the core base are more than twice as likely as core supporters to describe mass deportation measures as excessively aggressive.
In a statement accompanying the campaign launch, Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, emphasized the personal toll on South Texas residents.
"Texas families know what this deportation machine looks like because they've seen it up close," Cárdenas said. "Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was on his way to work and Ruben Ray Martinez was celebrating his birthday when ICE agents took their lives. Trump and his enablers in Congress built this machine and aimed it at communities like the Rio Grande Valley. These billboards make sure no one forgets the cruelty, the lawlessness, and the chaos it has brought to Texas. It has gone too far, and it has to stop."
The billboards in McAllen and Weslaco are scheduled to remain on display along Expressway 83 as part of the multi-state campaign.
