Texas GOPer Who Blocked Filibuster Shared Approach to Immigrants: ‘Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up’

A Texas Republican lawmaker who last week blocked Democrats’ effort to filibuster the state’s gerrymander made disturbing comments at a 2022 legislative hearing — suggesting a way to deal with immigrants might be: “shoot, shovel and shut up.”

The comments could boost the legal challenge to the gerrymander, by helping to establish a climate of racial animus against Latinos among white legislators, voting rights advocates said.

“I’ve got a phrase I want to say so bad. But I won’t throw you under the bus. It was extremely good,” state Sen. Charles Perry said at a 2022 Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs hearing on the cattle industry.

“It kind of addresses the immigration issue up in my area of the woods, I’m afraid,” Perry continued. “Shoot, shovel and shut up.”

“I wonder where you heard that,” responded Scott Williamson, then executive director of law enforcement at the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, who was testifying before the committee. 

“I don’t know where I heard that. But anyway, all joking aside, on that issue, I’m very concerned,” Perry said. 

Perry’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks.

Perry last week blocked state Sen. Carol Alvarado (D)’s attempt to filibuster the vote on Texas’ new congressional map, accusing her of improperly using the filibuster as a fundraising opportunity.

“It’s disrespectful, it violates the decorum of the Senate and personally I’m offended by it,” Perry said, over outraged shouts from the public gallery.

Alvarado said she planned to read comments on the map submitted by Texas voters, and that other Democratic senators were willing to step in and take over the filibuster after Alvarado was blocked. But Republicans shut that down, as well. 

The map was passed minutes later, and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Friday. 

Dan Vicuña, director of redistricting and representation at Common Cause, said Perry’s comment on immigration takes on legal significance given the larger context of the GOP redistricting effort. 

“Usually elected officials don’t say the quiet part out loud, but this whole process started with the quiet part being screamed,” Vicuña said.

The lawsuit challenging the map alleges it dilutes the voting power of Black and Latino voters under Section 2 of the Voting Rights, among other claims. To prove the vote dilution claim, it helps for plaintiffs to show the use of overt or subtle racial appeals exist in the state’s politics.

“In several of those different types of claims, you do want to look at what have legislators said, how have they gone about their business?” Vicuña said. “A gross comment demonstrating hatred towards immigrants is very relevant to a situation in which legislators are very clearly attempting to discriminate against Latino communities.” 

Minority voters* and voting advocates are asking a federal court to issue a preliminary injunction against the newly passed map and order the state to use its 2021 map for the upcoming 2026 election.

*The Texas voters are represented by the Elias Law Group (ELG). ELG firm chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.