Thread: Border Conference to focus on immigration, trade and border

Border Conference to focus on immigration, trade and border security

By John Hall \ EL PASO TIMES
Posted: 03/16/2011 08:38:42 AM MDT

Watch live streaming video from congressmanreyes at livestream.com

The 15th annual Border Issues Conference will begin Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and will again focus on immigration, trade and border security.

The two-day conference will start with a tribute to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who survived a gunshot to the head on Jan. 8 in a shooting spree in Tucson. Jared Loughner, 22, has been arrested in the shootings. Giffords is a member of the Congressional Border Caucus.

A variety of speakers including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan will be on hand, as will several lawmakers including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The co-chairmen of the conference are Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D- Texas, and Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

A series of panel discussions are scheduled for Thursday.
will be a panelist Thursday, focusing on building stronger communities along the border.

One point she said she hopes to get across is that not all border communities are riddled with violence. It's important for lawmakers to understand that immigrant communities are safe, she said. "If we don't tell our story, other people will," Escobar said. "Conferences like this one and like many others about border policy are critical because funding decisions are based on information provided at these conferences, but also the story that we tell helps shape the perception. It's important that before policymakers make any decision, they have accurate information."

John Hall may be reached at jhall@elpasotimes.com; 546-6371.

Watch online

The 15th annual Border Issues Conference will be streamed live on Rep. Silvestre Reyes' Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CongressmanReyes.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_17588342

Senator Cornyn Addresses the Annual Border Issues Conference
By John Cornyn

March 17, 2011

Today, I released the following keynote speech as prepared for delivery for the 15th Annual Border Issues Conference luncheon hosted by the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) and the Congressional Border Caucus:

Thank you, Al Zapanta.You continue to lead the Chamber with a clear vision that our two nations have even more potential to create jobs and economic opportunity. It’s good to be here with Congressman Reyes, Congressman McCaul, Secretary Napolitano, Ambassador Sarukhan, and all the civic and business leaders who have come to Washington for this conference.

Texans understand the importance of our economic partnership with Mexico. Texas surpassed California 10 years ago as America’s largest exporter and 35 percent of Texas exports go to Mexico. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas projects that my state will add up to 374,000 jobs this year and see our state unemployment rate drop to 7 percent.

One of the biggest factors in that growth will be exports. Texans want to expand our trade with Mexico, but they are becoming increasingly concerned with the impact of cartel-related violence on their businesses.

In both Mexico and the United States, cartel-related violence is making national headlines. In January, two American missionaries were attacked by bandits near Reynosa. Their truck was riddled with bullets as they tried to make it back across the Pharr International Bridge, but unfortunately one of them did not make it back to McAllen alive.

In February, two Texas teenagers from El Paso were killed at a used car dealership across the border in Juarez. Since December 2006, about 230 Americans have been murdered in Mexico—according to the State Department—and more than 35,000 Mexicans have lost their lives as well.

As horrific as the violence is, sometimes the media misses a few of the other major stories along our southwest border. One of those stories involves illegal immigrants from countries very far from Mexico. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 59,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended in the first 9 months of 2010 who were listed as “other than mexican.â€

[quote="jean"]Senator Cornyn Addresses the Annual Border Issues Conference
By John Cornyn

As horrific as the violence is, sometimes the media misses a few of the other major stories along our southwest border. One of those stories involves illegal immigrants from countries very far from Mexico. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 59,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended in the first 9 months of 2010 who were listed as “other than mexican.â€