HORRIBLY HISTORICALLY: LULAC Council 4743 and Ministers Justice Coalition Call for Relocation of Texas Rangers Statue.

HORRIBLY HISTORICALLY: LULAC Council 4743 and Ministers Justice Coalition Call for Relocation of Texas Rangers Statue.

LULAC Council 4743 has joined the Ministers Justice Coalition in calling for the relocation of the Texas Rangers statue currently displayed at Globe Life Field. The coalition is requesting that the monument be moved to the Bullock Texas State History Museum, where the complex and contested history of the Texas Rangers can be presented within a fuller and more responsible historical context.

Supporters say the request is rooted in the painful and well-documented history of the Rangers’ treatment of Mexican-American communities throughout Texas. For many families, the legacy of the Rangers is remembered not only as a story of frontier law enforcement, but also as a period marked by discrimination, violence, and injustice against people of Mexican descent.

Key Historical Context

Historians have long pointed to several troubling chapters that continue to shape public discussion about the Rangers’ legacy.

La Matanza (1910–1920) https://youtu.be/qsROvOt-Me8?si=tpzIBSWq53nKUGm0

During the years surrounding the Mexican Revolution, Texas Rangers and vigilante groups carried out widespread killings of people of Mexican descent across South Texas. Historians estimate that hundreds—and possibly thousands—of Mexican Americans were killed, often without investigation or due process.

Extrajudicial Violence

Rangers were frequently accused of conducting summary executions, sometimes claiming suspects were shot “while trying to escape.” Many Tejanos were lynched or killed without trials, and those responsible rarely faced legal consequences.

The “Bandit War” (1915–1919)

During this violent period along the Texas–Mexico border, Rangers pursued alleged bandits and insurgents. Numerous suspects attempting to cross the Rio Grande were killed in confrontations that historians later questioned as excessive or unlawful.

Systemic Oppression

Critics argue that during portions of the early twentieth century the Rangers functioned as a paramilitary force that enforced racial hierarchy in Texas, frequently protecting Anglo political and economic interests while targeting Mexican-American communities.

The Statue and the Legacy of Jay Banks

The debate surrounding the statue is also shaped by the legacy of Jay Banks, who commanded a Ranger division deployed during the 1956 school integration crisis in Mansfield, Texas.

Following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which ordered the desegregation of public schools, Texas officials attempted to resist federal integration mandates. In 1956, Rangers under Banks’ command were sent to Mansfield High School and Texarkana Junior College as white mobs gathered to block African American students from enrolling.

The deployment occurred under orders from Texas Governor Allan Shivers, who had publicly opposed school integration. Historical accounts indicate that crowds gathered to prevent Black students from entering the schools, and Banks later expressed sympathy for those protesting the enrollment of African American students.

For many civil rights historians, the episode illustrates how state authority was used during the early Civil Rights Movement to resist the constitutional rights of African American students.

A History Already Under Review

Debate over the legacy of Jay Banks and the Texas Rangers has surfaced before. In 2020, the 12-foot statue of Banks that stood for decades at Dallas Love Field Airport was removed amid national protests following the killing of George Floyd.

The removal came as renewed attention focused on the Rangers’ historical record, including findings discussed in the book Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by historian Doug J. Swanson. The book examines numerous racial incidents involving the Rangers and highlights Banks’ role during the Mansfield desegregation crisis.

Historians such as Monica Muñoz Martinez have also documented state-sanctioned violence against Mexican Americans, including the 1918 massacre in Porvenir, Texas, where Rangers and soldiers executed 15 Mexican American men and boys.

These historical revelations have led many scholars, community leaders, and civil rights advocates to reexamine how the Rangers are memorialized in public spaces.

A Call for Historical Context

For these reasons, leaders from LULAC Council 4743 and the Ministers Justice Coalition believe the statue would be more appropriately placed in a museum setting where the full historical record—both the achievements and the painful chapters—can be examined thoughtfully and honestly.

Coalition leaders emphasize that the request is not about erasing history, but about presenting it truthfully and responsibly.

“Museums exist to tell the complete story,” coalition representatives said. “Public monuments often celebrate heroes, but history—especially Texas history—is more complicated than celebration alone.”

As one supporter explained:

“Horribly, historically, the Texas Rangers mistreated the Mexican-American community across Texas. That truth cannot be ignored. It deserves to be told fully, responsibly, and in a place where people can learn from the entire story.”

The coalition believes relocating the statue would open the door for deeper historical reflection and a more inclusive conversation about Texas history—one that acknowledges both the contributions and the painful experiences that shaped the state.

For more information contact:

LULAC Council 4743 President Lee Saldivar — 817-987-7471

Ministers Justice Coalition President Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. — 817-966-7625