Illegal immigration debate draws Houston business leaders

Houston Business Journal
by Connie Lewis , Reporter
Date: Monday, December 19, 2011, 1:47pm CST

Differing opinions on illegal immigration were evident among a crowd of nearly 500 who gathered Dec. 15 at the Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel on North Loop West to hear a local businessman and a state lawmaker square off on the topic.

Questions for the debaters were submitted anonymously on paper from the audience. But from interviews with some businesspeople before the debate, it seemed that none had any fears or questions about complying with the laws.

Bill Sherrill, who heads Seco Industrial Maintenance & Controls, which performs industrial and commercial wiring, said that its electricians undergo a four-year apprenticeship, and he generally hires through a temporary agency, which makes sure employees have proper documentation to work in this country. If the temps work out, they’re taken on full time. But he also said he believes that immigrant workers are vital to the nation’s economy.

Norman Adams of Texans for Sensible Immigration Policy drew applause for his views on regulating immigration quotas on an “as need” basis.

State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston), who debated Adams, was also applauded for her stance on tightening what she called the “porous” U.S.-Mexican border.

America needs immigrant workers to fill jobs that its citizens won’t take, Adams stressed.

Riddle’s main point was that securing the border is necessary to stem the flow of illegal drugs and narcotics and provide greater safety and security for American citizens.

She filed three bills in the last legislative session, including one that would have allowed police and sheriffs to arrest, without warrant, individuals they had probably cause to believe were in this country illegally while being arrested for another offense. None of her bills passed.

Adams advocates replacing our paper Social Security cards, which originated in 1936 and haven’t changed, with a photo ID card that can’t be counterfeited. He also said he thinks noncitizens within our borders should be required to submit to criminal background checks and those found to have a history of violent crime should be deported.

“We need to revise immigration laws, because the laws we have don’t work,” he said.

“Yes, but first we need to secure our border,” Riddle said as loud clapping erupted from a group of her supporters near the back.

“God gave us a brain, we can do more than one thing at a time,” Adams countered.

Connie Lewis covers manufacturing and the Houston port.

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