Fact-check analysisVerified as of August 31, 2025Curated by FactVerify
True

A Texas Republican lawmaker suggested in 2022 that a way to deal with immigrants is to “shoot, shovel and shut up.”

In 2022, Texas Republican state Senator Charles Perry did suggest the phrase 'shoot, shovel and shut up' as an approach to dealing with immigration issues in his region.

Texas Republican Proposes Public Executions of Undocumented Immigrants - Newsweek

Texas Republican Proposes Public Executions of Undocumented Immigrants - Newsweek

Source: newsweek.com

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified August 31, 2025
The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

Multiple independent sources confirm that Charles Perry, a Texas Republican state senator, used the phrase 'shoot, shovel and shut up' during a 2022 Senate Committee hearing related to the cattle industry and immigration issues in his area. This phrase was reported by Democracy Docket and Raw Story, both citing the same event and quote. The context was a discussion on immigration challenges in rural Texas, where Perry implied this approach as a way some locals handle undocumented immigrants. No credible sources dispute that Perry made this statement in 2022. Other sources in the dataset discuss different immigration-related remarks by Texas Republicans but do not contradict or refute this specific claim. For example, Newsweek reports on a different Texas Republican proposing public executions of undocumented immigrants, which is a separate incident involving another individual.democracydocket.comdemocracydocket.comTexas GOPer Who Blocked Filibuster Shared Approach to Immigrants: ‘Shoot, Shovel...newsweek.comnewsweek.comTexas Republican Proposes Public Executions of Undocumented Immigrants+1 more

The phrase itself is widely recognized as a controversial and inflammatory expression implying violent and secretive actions against immigrants. The evidence shows that Perry did indeed use this phrase publicly in 2022, confirming the claim's accuracy.

In summary:

Charles Perry made the statement in 2022 during a Senate committee hearing.

Multiple independent news outlets reported on it.

No credible contradictory evidence was found.

Therefore, the claim is verified as true based on available evidence.

Primary trail

Verified Sources7

Texas GOPer Who Blocked Filibuster Shared Approach to Immigrants: ‘Shoot, Shovel...

democracydocket.com
Open source

Unauthorized immigrants share 'God-given' right to have guns, Republican...

dallasnews.com
Open source

Republicans ‘exploit’ border and immigration issues, Texas Rep. Escobar says

pbs.org
Open source
Keep exploring

Where to go next

Continue with the evidence, catch up on the week, or save this check for later.