Thread: El Paso leaders decry state immigration legislation

El Paso leaders decry state immigration legislation

by Ramon Bracamontes \ El Paso Times
Posted: 01/29/2011 12:00:00 AM MST


Texas Gov. Rick Perry is turning Texas into an outcast by elevating immigration issues to an emergency level and by insisting that local law enforcement officials be allowed to enforce immigration laws, El Paso's four highest-ranking elected officials said Friday.

If Perry and the state Legislature pass such laws --Êsome of which have already been filed -- El Paso's status as the safest city will be jeopardized, said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

"It will turn border communities into havens for criminals who will prey on undocumented immigrants and exploit their fears and silence," Reyes said. "We think this is bad policy."

Reyes was one of four city-wide elected leaders who gathered Friday in El Paso to blast Perry's immigration agenda. The others were newly elected state Sen. José RodrÃ*guez, D-El Paso, newly elected County Judge Veronica Escobar and Mayor John Cook.

All four said the governor's immigration agenda will hurt El Paso and Texas.

The governor disputes their allegations.

His spokeswoman said the El Paso leaders are misrepresenting what the governor is trying to do.

Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Perry, said the governor has no interest in turning local law enforcement officers into immigration officers, even though the federal government is failing to put enough agents in Texas.

"He just wants local law enforcement to have the discretion to ask about immigration status while they are performing their regular duties," she said.

The governor's overall goal, she said, is simply to strengthen homeland and border security. That is why the governor placed immigration on the Legislature's emergency agenda, she said. The emergency status designation means the Legislature can pass immigration laws during the first 30 days of the legislative session.

RodrÃ*guez, who was elected senator in November, said Texas has more pressing needs than immigration.

"With Texas facing a $27 billion deficit and projected cuts to health and human services and education, that's what we should be worrying about," RodrÃ*guez said. "It was very ill-advised to make this an emergency item."
RodrÃ*guez said immigration is not an emergency because federal agents in El Paso are doing an effective job of stopping illegal immigration.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics, 12,251 undocumented immigrants were arrested last year in the El Paso region.

That is a significant drop from 1992, when 248,642 undocumented immigrants were arrested in El Paso.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin recently toured the border to show that the agency's efforts in Texas and California have stopped the illegal immigration and drug smuggling that was occurring in 1990s and in the early 2000s.

Bersin, who met with local officials, said the focus is now on Arizona, where illegal immigration has increased.

Escobar said Perry's desire to have local law enforcement ask immigration questions is another unfunded mandate that will cost local taxpayers.

"We will have to spend local taxpayer money to train our police officers and deputies on immigration laws," she said.

"And we will have to spend local tax money on keeping those people they arrest in our jails."

More than 40 immigration-related bills have been filed this legislative session.

Some of the bills already filed would make it illegal for immigrants to sue U.S. citizens. Others state that only children born of U.S. parents can be U.S. citizens.

A couple of the bills would allow local law enforcement officers to make people prove they are U.S. citizens.

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Dixie

Its time El Paso's leaders realize that hindering Law Enforcement is only endangering the community. The drugs, gangs and illegals in that whole area need to be cleaned out with whatever means it takes. They are in a war down there and people are being killed because of the illegal activities that have been brought across the border by the drug cartels and illegals. It needs to be stopped and the so called leaders need to support the law, encourage enforcement of immigration laws, help secure the border there and to encourage the community to reject illegals and the drug smuggling.

"It will turn border communities into havens for criminals who will prey on undocumented immigrants and exploit their fears and silence," Reyes said. "We think this is bad policy."

This is one of those fallacious, sophistic arguments they have gotten so good at. Nothing more than a smokescreen designed to stifle any discussion of the real problem.

Originally Posted by fatfenders

"It will turn border communities into havens for criminals who will prey on undocumented immigrants and exploit their fears and silence," Reyes said. "We think this is bad policy."

This is one of those fallacious, sophistic arguments they have gotten so good at. Nothing more than a smokescreen designed to stifle any discussion of the real problem.

You are so right! One look at the writer's name and 3 of the 4 officials told me which direction this article was gonna go...

I am weary of Hispanic officials looking out for illegal invaders over their supposed constituents. If these people want to represent Hispanics ONLY, they should run for office in Mexico!