Thread: Angry words fly between Texas legislator, lawyer after immig

06:45 AM CST on Thursday, February 19, 2009
By MARCUS FUNK / The Dallas Morning News
mfunk@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – In a heated exchange over immigration Wednesday, Rep. Leo Berman shouted "go home!" to a Dallas lawyer of Chinese-American descent who had called the lawmaker "despicable" and "evil."

The confrontation followed a panel discussion on the issue, where Berman, R-Tyler, spoke about his bill to relocate illegal immigrants to "sanctuary cities," where law officers are instructed not to ask people they encounter about their immigration status.

Harry Joe, who practices immigration law with the Winstead law firm, approached Berman afterwards, and the discussion soon turned angry.

Joe acknowledged calling Berman "despicable" and "an evil man," and Berman countered with the "go home" remark and told Joe that he could "kiss my [expletive]."

The argument was overheard by a reporter and several spectators.

Joe later apologized for his remarks, but Berman declined to comment further.

"I'm not saying anything about it," Berman said. "This was a private discussion, and I do not owe him an apology, not after what he said to me."

Berman has helped author eight bills aimed at illegal immigrants, including provisions to challenge birthright citizenship, bar illegal immigrants from public universities and tax money orders sent between Texas and Mexico.

The exchange focused on a provision that would require all illegal immigrants to relocate to self-designated "sanctuary cities."

Berman said the bill was intended to "send a message" to cities across the state, a message that Joe called spiteful. Joe said that the proposal, which Berman said he recently withdrew, "looked like a bill the Nazis would have passed."

Joe said he regretted his emotional outburst but believed that Berman's response was racially motivated.

"I've had racial remarks thrown at me all my life," Joe said.

The forum, which was sponsored by the Texas Employers for Immigration Reform, also included discussions with Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and former U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio. None was present during the argument, and most discussion revolved around federal immigration initiatives and state action.

Watson also discussed a potential partnership with the federal government to make more workers available while overhauling immigration laws. That legislation, sponsored jointly by Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, will be introduced in the coming weeks.

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... f5225.html

ICE raids anymore?

Joe is a dispicable human being! Calling Leo a racist after Joe insulted him. Leo is not racist, he wants to protect Texans from total collapse brought on by the illegals.

War of Words

Posted: Feb 19, 2009 03:22 PM

War of Words
2:54

By Layron Livingston - bio - email

Posted by Ellen Krafve - email

EAST TEXAS (KLTV) - Representative Leo Berman told a Chinese-American attorney to, quote, "go home" after an illegal immigration debate heated up.

It was just moments after the attorney, Harry Joe of Dallas, called Representative Berman, quote, "despicable" and "evil".

The issue runs deep on both sides of the argument, but there's no pulling punches in this war of words.

The exchange was brief. Attorney Harry Joe told Berman, "You did this out of spite. You did this to pander votes." To which Representative Berman later replied, "You can kiss my [expletive]."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said that, but I was angry," Berman told us.

Representative Berman said it was a private conversation blown out of proportion.

"I wanted him to go home to Dallas where he's practicing law in violation of his oath as an attorney supporting illegal aliens," explained Berman.

Berman said he was approached first. Attorney Harry Joe spoke with us on the phone from Dallas.

"He was throwing gasoline on an issue by putting in a bill that he clearly didn't intend to support apparently," said Joe.

What sparked the debate was Texas House bill 254 that was filed by Berman and seeks to relocate all "illegal immigrants" to "sanctuary" cities.

"This is exactly what Nazi Germany did when they attacked Poland," said Joe.

"I am not a racist," said Berman.

And, he is no stranger to pushing the illegal immigration issue. He's authored more than a dozen bills aimed at addressing the topic. He said the bill was filed to send a message to mayors.

"If you're going to continue to do this, we'll just send you all these illegal aliens and let you have them all," said Berman.

"Mr. Berman represents the attitude that exists in places like in California in the late 1800's when Chinese immigrants, who built the railroads, worked the mines were literally driven out," said Joe.

"Maybe he needs to introduce a law for psychological evaluation for anyone who runs for public office," said Gus Ramirez.

Ramirez ran against Berman back in 2006, and lost. He said East Texas is changing and...

"You were elected to represent all your constituency in that district," said Ramirez.

"Better than 90 percent of the people in my district want something done about illegal aliens, and I hope we can do something," said Berman.

He said he has no plans to pursue the bill but does not intend on withdrawing it either.
http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=9875024

Immigration bills already sparking angry exchanges

06:34 PM CST on Thursday, February 19, 2009

By ELISE HU
KVUE News


The effort to crack down on undocumented workers in Texas is already creating tension at the Capitol.

At least 35 bills have been filed this session to target an illegal immigration problem that the federal government has yet to address.

"They generally are things that really need to be addressed, at least vocalized," said State Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton, on the bills.

Jackson's bills would make English the official state language and require proof of citizenship for all 185,000 state employees.

"I think it's important that we secure ourselves and our safety by controlling our borders and those who are here, knowing who's here," said Jackson.

But other immigration bills are considered by critics to be more mean-spirited. They include measures to tax money sent from Texas to Mexico, bar illegal immigrants from public universities and challenge the citizenship of immigrant children, even if the children are born on US soil.

"Some of [the bills] would rip families apart," said State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who supports comprehensive reform at the federal level, but worries some of the state proposals are anti-Hispanic.

"I wish my colleagues would tone down the rhetoric. It doesn't do us any good," she said.

A racial exchange actually broke out this week between a lawmaker who authored several anti-immigrant bills and a Chinese-American immigration lawyer. The Dallas Morning News reports the lawyer called the lawmaker "evil" for one of his measures, the lawmaker, state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, responded by saying "kiss my a**" and "go home".

Berman was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

"When we have legislators assume that because someone looks different, they're not American, that is very troubling to me," said Van de Putte.
http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/ ... f.html?npc

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-146892.html

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Wonderful news, get going Berman and ICE.