Thread: Texas lawmaker takes aim at illegal immigrants

A decorated combat veteran. A conservative Republican right before Ronald Reagan burst onto the scene. And the Texas Legislature’s fiercest opponent of illegal immigration.

That’s Leo Berman, a 10-year member of the Texas House, representing Tyler, and a former member of the Arlington City Council.

A strong foe of illegal immigration, Berman, 73, has eight bills aimed at discouraging people from coming to the United States, or at least Texas, illegally. His legislation spells out a tough stance, seeking to stamp out illegal immigration through several means. He wants to tax money sent to most of Latin America and use the revenue to reimburse Texas hospitals for the care they give to illegal immigrants. And he wants to deny citizenship to the U.S.-born children of immigrants — legal and illegal.

He also wants to cut off state funding for cities that declare themselves "sanctuary cities," or municipalities that deliver services and conduct police investigations without inquiring about people’s immigration status. Berman also wants to bar illegal immigrants from attending Texas’ public universities.

Berman said a push-back against illegal immigrants is needed. He said they cost Texas $4 billion a year and make up half the state’s gangs.

"They’re flooding and creating chaos in our hospital emergency rooms. They’re creating chaos in our school districts," he said.

Berman’s opponents said his assertions about illegal immigrants’ effect on Texas are wrong — but they’re not that worried. They think his bills will fail this session, as they did two years ago.

"I don’t expect that immigration is an issue that the Legislature wants to deal with this time around," said Luis Figueroa, a staff attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund who lobbies in Austin. "Ultimately, the legislators have learned that [immigration] doesn’t work very well as a wedge issue."

But anti-illegal-immigration groups praise Berman’s efforts.

"As far as writing and submitting bills, he’s the one that’s done the most," said Joel Downs, president of the Fort Worth chapter of Citizens For Immigration Reform, a group that lobbies Austin for tough anti-illegal-immigration legislation.

Little chance

If passed, Berman’s legislation would break ground by having state and local officials take on new roles in confronting illegal immigrants.

Berman said that if neither of a newborn’s parents is a citizen, a hospital should not give a birth certificate but a "record of birth" to be taken to the parents’ home consulate to get citizenship from that country. He said hospitals can tell who the illegal immigrants are by just looking at who is not paying their hospital bills.

Berman said he wants Texas to get sued for this so the courts can overturn the practice of granting citizenship to the children of immigrants simply because they are born here.

State Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, a pro-immigrant lawmaker, said he thinks Berman’s bills have virtually no support.

"We believe this type of legislation should be dealt with at the national level and not at the state level," he said.

Independent observer Harvey Kronberg, editor of the Quorum Report, also sees little hope for Berman’s immigration legislation, not only because there are more Democrats in this session but also because many Republicans are uninterested in the bills.

"Republicans are nervous that the anti-illegal-immigration argument has morphed into an anti-Hispanic argument, and Hispanics have left the Republican Party in such dramatic numbers I doubt that there’s much appetite to pursue that," he said.

Before the House

Berman served in the Army for 22 years, including two combat tours in Vietnam. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after being awarded three Bronze Stars, among other decorations.

After losing a bid for Congress to Democrat Martin Frost in 1978, Berman became a member of the Arlington City Council. He served from 1979 to 1984, eventually making it to mayor pro tem.

Journalists from that era remember him as an outspoken conservative. John Moritz, former reporter at the now-defunct Arlington Citizen-Journal, remembered Berman as trying to slow the rapid growth in Arlington at the time.

"He was part of a council faction that tried to put some limits on the growth of apartments because there was a lot of public opposition to the vast development in the north part of Arlington  . . .  He was among those that warned in 20 years’ time that some of those apartment complexes might fall into disrepair," Moritz said. "He had a moral streak which he used, and he was probably one of the more outspoken council members. We in the press gravitated to him because he was ready with a quip."

O.K. Carter, who was editor of the Citizen-Journal, said Berman stood out as the type of conservative Republican whom suburban Americans had not seen but were about to see a lot of when Reagan became president.

"He was really the first for Arlington, maybe for the Metroplex, to be hard-core," Carter said.

"He was one of those people who shows us an ideology, and he pretty much makes his decisions based on that ideology."


I don’t expect that immigration is an issue that the Legislature wants to deal with this time around."

Luis Figueroa,
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund




PATRICK McGEE, 817-390-7638



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jrmcconnell1 wrote on 3/8/2009 6:48:56 AM:
So the republicans don't want to deal with the issue account many hispanics have already left the party. Well if they have already left, tough, they aren't coming back. By the way, are you pandering politicians trying to get the Illegal vote? If so, you need to be put in jail for conspiring "to" get illegal votes. I hope someone gets enough nerve and courage to get rid of these money sucking illegals and the pandering politicians with them.
Good Luck Mr. Berman

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1245171.html

"State Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas,...says he thinks Berman's bills have virtually no support."

Texas residents, help prove Alonzo wrong --

See Texas 2009 Legislative Session Action Campaign:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-147125.html