Posted on 11/24/2010 11:27:21 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
WESLACO, Nov. 23 - Those who attended an RGV Equal Voice Network meeting on Tuesday agreed that the most powerful remarks came from Commander Josemaria Vasquez, of the American GI Forum.
The meeting was held to kick start a Valley coalition opposed to the anti-immigrant bills that have been filed in advance of the legislative session that starts in Austin in January.
Vasquez, a Vietnam War veteran, explained that last Saturday he attended a seminar at the San Antonio Convention Center that included U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona. During the seminar there was a slide show with photos of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio handing out soft toys to the children of undocumented parents.
Arpaio has a trunk full of toys to give to the children so they will stop crying when they take the parents away. Those are U.S. citizens. Those are our kids. This is whats got me really riled up, and a lot of veterans. This is why we are here, Vasquez said.
The title of the panel discussion in San Antonio was Arizonas SB 1070 and the Future of Immigration." It was hosted by the American Studies Association. Vasquez said one of the professors on the panel said that when children in Arizona talk to each other, they say, Hey, you are a 1070.
That is dehumanizing our kids. That is what got me angry, Vasquez said.
Under SB 1070, if an undocumented immigrant is identified by law enforcement in Arizona, he or she can be prosecuted and deported. The bill makes failure to carry immigration documents a misdemeanor. It also gives the police broad powers to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.
Vasquez told the Equal Voice group that, proportionately, the Valley provides as many if not more members of the armed services than any other region of the United States.
The Rio Grande Valley per capita contributes more to the freedoms of this nation and it is not for this, Vasquez said, referring to the Arizona legislation. He said that 35 Valley soldiers have died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. They did not die for this, we are not dying for this to come back and bite us in the ass, he said. This is a wake up call to all of us. We need to defend our constitution and our citizens.
There was loud applause when Vasquez finished his remarks. That is very powerful, commander, thank you, said Salomon Torres, co-host of the Equal Voice event and district director for Congressman Rubén Hinojosa.
Interviewed afterwards by the Guardian, Vasquez expanded upon his remarks.
What I learned from the San Antonio seminar really angered me, Vasquez said. Why are we dying out in foreign countries so they can have what we have and here we are destroying it ourselves? I do not understand the logic of that.
Vasquez said the American GI Forum was formed at the end of World War II to fight for veterans and the civil rights of Hispanics. He predicted that the group would lead the way in the Valley and across Texas in blocking Arizona-type legislation from being passed by the state legislature.
Our veterans have families and those families are part of our community. When the community is affected the veteran is affected. This issue is not just about an illegal immigrant or an undocumented immigrant, whatever you want to call us, it is our entire community, Vasquez said.
Vasquez said the fact that non-Hispanic lawmakers from other parts of the state are filing anti-Hispanic anti-immigrant bills has to be a wake-up call for the people of the Valley.
We cannot stay dormant. We need to fight with everything we have got. It is coming this way and we have to put a block on it and tell Texas and the United States of America, we are not going to allow this. This is not what our people are fighting for.
In addition to being a regional commander for the American GI Forum, Vasquez leads Americas Last Patrol in the Valley. He lives in Elsa, Texas.
There you go again, Steve!
Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
If they do not want their children to be “dehumanized”, then the illegals should not be here and risk that happening to their children. Just because some Hispanics serve and have served in the military, does not give a blank slate for all illegals to be here and take advantage of our systems.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona is rabid! It is the only English word I know to describe this ‘person’.
I would note that based on the good CONgescritters own statements - he indicates that he is a Mexican and not an American. Cultural pride is one thing, this cat is over the top.
How he got reelected is a wonder to me.....
So what prevents the children from going back to central America with their parents? The tactic of using children as human shields in supporting illegal invasion is repulsive.
Illegal is Illegal. No more catch and release....DEPORT!
(Arpaio has a trunk full of toys to give to the children so they will stop crying when they take the parents away.)It almost seems like they are saying as long we have kids , we just hold them up, and this is why the law is not suppose to apply to us.Do they use these same tactics in Mexico ?
The left always uses “the children” emotion to get people to accept their radical ideas. It works very well on women voters, unfortunately.
Not this “Valley Veteran”. Secure the border and send em home!
So they can't prove they have kids?
Ping!
Just because they are born here, doesn’t mean that the kids can’t go to Mexico with their parents.
And if they are raised in Mexico with their parents then they may not be “subject to the juristiction” of the US.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.