Texas governor backtracks on ‘illegal immigrants’ remarks after shooting

Greg Abbott rows back on ‘inhumane’ remarks amid barrage of criticism after shooting that killed five, including a child

After a barrage of public criticism from immigration advocates, Latino state lawmakers and Congress members, Texas’s Republican governor Greg Abbott has backtracked from controversial remarks he made referring to the victims of a recent mass murder as “illegal immigrants”.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to the families who have lost a loved one,” Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, told ABC News in a statement about those slain in a shooting in Cleveland, Texas, on Friday night. “Federal officials provided the state of Texas information on the criminal and the victims, including that they were in the country illegally. We’ve since learned that at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally.”