SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A recent fundraising letter from Governor Greg Abbott aimed at firing up Republican support has also fired up some Democrats.

It starts out by saying “If we’re going to DEFEND Texas, we’ll need to take matters into our own hands.”

He asks for donations to fight illegal immigration and cites the number of apprehensions at the Texas-Mexico border — 45,000 “in just three weeks in June,” Abbott said. “That amounts to the entire population of Galveston –every three weeks.”

Abbott asks the reader to “DEFEND TEXAS NOW” and sign a statement of support.

“Unless you and I want liberals to succeed in their plan to transform Texas — and our entire country — through illegal immigration, this is a message we MUST send,” the letter dated August 2 states.

The Texas Democratic Party tweeted,” Did you see the BREAKING news? Governor Abbott sent out a racist, anti-latino, and anti-immigrant fundraising letter just one day before the El Paso terrorist attack.”

The man accused of killing 22 people and injuring two dozen others Aug. 3 at a Walmart store in El Paso had written about a “Hispanic Invasion of Texas” and reportedly said he was out to kill Mexicans.

The Express News talked to Texas Republican analyst Adryana Aldeen , who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico.  She said she’s known Abbott for years and noted that he’s married to a Hispanic.

“This is a regular fundraising letter that is focusing on defending Texas because that’s the message of the governor,” Aldeen told the Express News.

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