Posted on 07/08/2005 11:38:55 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Sheriffs from Victoria and three nearby counties appealed Thursday to Sen. John Cornyn for federal dollars to help them deal with the flood of illegal immigrants pouring through the area.
"One word can sum this whole thing up: Overwhelming," Goliad County Sheriff Robert De La Garza told Cornyn. "I'm hoping that the federal government will do something for us."
Refugio County Sheriff Earl Petropoulas put it this way: "We don't have the money to do the job."
The senator pledged that he would try to help.
"More funding is a real possibility," he said. "We'd be delighted to try to get you some of those resources."
At the invitation of Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor, Cornyn, a Texas Republican, sat down at the Victoria County Sheriff's Office with the four sheriffs, landowners, agriculture representatives and others for a half-hour roundtable discussion on immigration problems.
"I'm here to find out what I can do to support your efforts and take that back to Congress to lead the charge to try to fix our broken border and immigration system," Cornyn said.
The sheriffs said dealing with the illegal immigrants puts a major strain on their staffs, their jails and their departmental budgets.
Petropoulas asked for federal money for equipment, jail costs and additional deputies that could be cross-trained as Border Patrol agents.
The sheriffs and the senator agreed that the Border Patrol is understaffed in the Victoria region. "They're stretched too thin," said Bee County Sheriff Carlos Carrizales Jr.
Sheriff O'Connor said he supported the idea of federal funding to cross-train deputies/Border Patrol officers who could focus on the immigration issue.
O'Connor said if federal funding could be made available to the four counties for cross-trained officers, the counties could join together to form an immigration task force that could respond across the area as needed.
O'Connor also wants a Border Patrol station to be opened in Victoria "to work this very intense area" and is willing to provide space at the sheriff's office for the station.
He displayed a map showing arrows converging on Victoria from major illegal immigrant routes through Laredo, McAllen and Matamoros. He said if a map of the Victoria area were to be marked in all the places illegals have been encountered "it would blacken the map. They're funneling right through here."
The sheriffs also asked for changes in federal policies regarding releasing illegal immigrants turned over to them by local authorities. "It's a catch-and-release program," said O'Connor.
At the end of the discussion, Cornyn said: "This is not the end. This is the beginning of a good working relationship."
The sheriffs seemed encouraged.
"I felt good leaving the meeting," said Goliad's De La Garza. "The senator looked me straight in the eye and told me he's going to help."
O'Connor said afterward that over the last six months since his election he has gone to Washington D.C. and to Houston to speak to federal immigration officials about the help needed in the Victoria area. The officials were receptive, he said, but didn't act. That's when he wrote to Cornyn asking for the meeting.
"Knowledge is power and the more he knows and hears first hand, the more he can articulate to the people in Washington about our concerns," said O'Connor.
During the roundtable discussion, Ned Miester of the Texas Farm Bureau appealed to Cornyn to not take any action that would lead to the closing of the border, saying farmers need the workers who come up from Mexico.
Meister said a Lubbock squash farmer is currently losing up to $10,000 a day because he doesn't have enough pickers to harvest his crop.
Cornyn said the solution isn't to deploy the military or to build a wall, and agreed that some immigrants "do jobs Americans are not always willing to do."
He said a balance must be struck between economic and security needs.
"Today's explosion in London was a reminder that this is still a very dangerous world," the senator said.
Landowner Morgan O'Connor agreed, saying the nature of the immigrants has changed from those simply seeking jobs to a more dangerous element, including drug traffickers, human smugglers, even terrorists.
She said her parents are afraid to be alone at their ranch anymore because of the illegals, and that the family no longer lets its children ride horseback or work alone on the ranch.
O'Connor said the problem has become a constitutional issue because Texans are being deprived of the right to enjoy their property.
Others sitting at the table included John Kaspar, chief deputy in Victoria County; Dale Fowler of the Victoria Economic Development Corp.; David Edwards, a San Patricio County rancher; and Vincent Heard, a rancher in Refugio and Goliad counties.
Several citizens who wanted to attend the meeting, after reading in the paper that it would be an open meeting, were turned away. Cornyn's office had told the Advocate earlier that the meeting would be open to the public. Sheriff O'Connor on Wednesday reported that the meeting would be closed. The Thursday meeting was not open to the public.
Greg Bowen is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6519 or gbowen@vicad.com.
Sen. John Cornyn, second from left, talks with, from left, Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor, rancher Vincent Heard of Refugio and Goliad counties, Goliad County Justice of the Peace Emilio Vargas and Victoria County Justice of the Peace Jack Milam, Thursday at the Victoria County Sheriff's Office after a roundtable discussion on the problem of illegal immigration.
"Cornyn said the solution isn't to deploy the military or to build a wall, and agreed that some immigrants "do jobs Americans are not always willing to do."
He said a balance must be struck between economic and security needs"
And as long as the Senator thinks this, no measurable progress will be made.
As someone who loves squash, I would hate to see it all ruin on the vine...which really is a problem...
BUT, rather than let the illegals in from Mexico, why don't we get the illegals that are in the prisons go do it...kind of a worker program...if they aren't "violent" or in for a rape, murder, sex with child...
let the time working in the fields, go towards his sentence..then when he has worked enough and finished his sentence, if he has been well behaved, give him a chance to work the fields, and take the money back to Mexico.
As long as the Federal Gov't is unwilling to secure the borders, the job falls on the local sheriffs. I don't know about these sheriffs, but if my county were on the border I'd rather have my sheriff than the federal government anyway.
The real John Cornyn,
The following is from his PDF file on his site, I will post a link at the bottom of this page.
I think the courts have said that unless it's government squash then this is illegal forced labor, though I can't cite a case so I might be wrong.
"During the roundtable discussion, Ned Miester of the Texas Farm Bureau appealed to Cornyn to not take any action that would lead to the closing of the border, saying farmers need the workers who come up from Mexico. "
This is the crux of the problem. Employers feel they can't survive without operating illegally. There must be a demand for these products, or the farmers wouldn't be so overwhelmed with work. The question then becomes, what is the price the market will bear for the produce in question. If the price is too low to keep all the farmers in business, then unfortunately some of these farmers are going to have to change crops. I realize it is a balancing action, and without the illegals to keep production costs low enough to allow the farmers to flood the market with produce, some farms will go under.
Which is the worse cost? Allow the illegals in, with the attendant costs to the economy through welfare/unreimbursed medical, lost tax revenue, and crime/potential terrorism? Or, allow some of the industry that relies on this low-initial-cost workforce to die off (let the market regulate itself back to equilibrium), with the attendant increase in price to the consumer of the goods/services provided by these industries, and realize the increased security and eventual reduced cost of government?
Cornyn Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
We can still build a wall to control our borders.
We can force people to be here illegally.
Illegal Immigration affects it all. We have it here in Indiana.
Chucky Schumer and Hillary were on a rant today about more money for buses and subways security. If the terrorists want to blow up a bus no amount of money or secutiry can stop them. I would much rather spend that money stopping people from walking across the border, not only Mexicans but anyoine who walks across at anywhere other than a legal entry port. Illegals is not the point. The point is gettin people in without backpacks full of drugs. Chemical or biological agents or allowing Muslim agents to come in with the illegals.
I am pretty sure it is illegal, but then again so are they!!
Seriesly, I think there is a law like that, but why not change it....President Bush wants a "worker program"...why not start by using the ones that are already here, and put them to work instead of getting 3 hots and a cot on OUR dime, without lifting a finger?
I was being mostly facetious on my last post, but dang, there has to be a better idea than any thing else I heard except building a fence!! But then, the squash would spoil. I am not really being facetious about the squash.
My grandfather was a farmer...and I know what a hard job that is...and when it is harvest time...there isn't any wiggle room. You can't just put a Help Wanted sign on the mailbox or in the newspaper and "hope" you have enough workers...
Those ranchers and farmers along the border have BOTH problems. Too MANY illegals, but maybe not enough workers!
ping
Cornyn to Minutemen: Back Off (Asks for time to allow the federal government to act.)
It saddens me that Texas votes red, but we do not have conservative Senators. Cornyn and KBH both talk the talk, but neither walks the walk.
Since when do deputies need to be trained to catch illegals. I dare say they know how to identify them. I've been on the border as a police officer and the only training the BP gets is in government paper work, court documents, sensitivity, and firearms. My mother can spot an illegal immigrant.
ROFLOL! I'm with you, my state was initially populated largely by indentured servants ...
I call them country club republicans. They're not really RINOs, but they're not fighting the good fight, either. We've got them, too, and most of them get reelected because of name recognition - they've been in elected office since the 1970s.
This is an opportunity for all of you out of work Antis to make some quick bucks to get you by until you can find an engineering or programming job.
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Gee, how did the farmers in the past survive? Long hours, long days. Mmmm.....
That is crap, no one to pick, he isn't looking hard enough.
Until you shoot at them a couple of times. Being under fire changes your mind set about going from point A to point B.
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