[Texas:]State interests push to keep immigration federal

The Brownsville Herald ^ | Feb 16, 07 | Elizabeth Pierson

[SwinneySwitch]

AUSTIN — They haven’t always stood hand-in-hand, but on Thursday Mexican American lawmakers and the state’s biggest business group promised to work together to defeat what they call anti-immigration bills floating in the Legislature.

Congress, not the state Legislature, should handle border security and immigration reform, they said.

“We cannot afford to spend valuable time and resources this session on divisive legislation that is intended to criminalize hard working immigrants and which will devastate our Texas economy,” said Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, co-chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

As a sign of cooperation, Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, withdrew a bill he had filed that would make businesses that hire undocumented immigrants ineligible for the Texas Enterprise Fund, the taxpayer fund that pays private businesses for moving to Texas or expanding here.

Later, Anchia and business leaders made peace and determined instead to work together to defeat anti-illegal immigration bills, he said.

“We would rather work together than against each other to make sure these bills do not come to the floor and to make sure that this discussion happens in Washington and not in Austin,” Anchia said.

Lawmakers with heavy Latino populations in their districts are wary of any legislation that appears to be anti-immigrant. Business leaders are wary of losing workers they need to function.

Businesses support a secure border, but that can’t happen until the federal government enacts comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legal status for workers here illegally, said Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business.

“The federal government is perfectly capable of inflicting pain and suffering on Texas businesses, and we don’t think the Texas Legislature needs to pile on in this regard,” Hammond said.

Among the 20 or so lawmakers at the news conference were three who represent the Rio Grande Valley: Gonzales, Rep. Juan M. Escobar, D-Kingsville; and Rep. Armando “Mando” Martinez, D-Weslaco.

The Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce, American Civil Liberties Union and Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund were part of the coalition working to defeat the bills, they said.

Among the bills filed are those that would charge a fee on people sending money to Latin America, prohibit children of undocumented immigrants from receiving state benefits and prohibit cities from building or running day-labor centers.

Border lawmakers have said immigration should be left to the federal government, but they are largely supportive of Gov. Rick Perry’s proposal for the state to spend $100 million over the next two years on border-security operations.

That money would go to law enforcement agencies on the border and elsewhere.

Gonzales said she would support Perry’s proposal if she knows and agrees with where the money is going.

“We just want to make sure that that money is used efficiently and it’s not spent on not really providing border security,” she said.

epierson@link.freedom.com

[SwinneySwitch]

Quisling n : someone who collaborates with an enemy occupying force [syn: collaborator, collaborationist]

[muawiyah]

The rich people in Texas continue to prefer their neatly tended golf courses and lawns to loyalty to the United States.

Must be something we can do about this.

[SwinneySwitch]

Mexas Ping!

If you want on or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[Scourge of God]

Rich People: benefit from all that cheap-near-slavery-labor.

Middle Class People: pay the Rich People's profits in terms of the Rich transferring their labor costs (medical, housing, policing, and so on) onto the Middle Class taxpayers.

Working Poor: have to compete with the slave laborers for jobs that pay sub par wages.

And, one day, some Islamic terrorist will sneak a bomb across the southern border. On that day, the president should be immediately impeached.

[EagleUSA]

Rich People: benefit from all that cheap-near-slavery-labor.

Middle Class People: pay the Rich People's profits in terms of the Rich transferring their labor costs (medical, housing, policing, and so on) onto the Middle Class taxpayers.

Working Poor: have to compete with the slave laborers for jobs that pay sub par wages.

And, one day, some Islamic terrorist will sneak a bomb across the southern border. On that day, the president should be immediately impeached.
-----
All worth repeating. The violation of our borders is a product of both the government/business complex and globalist/elitist arrogance.

[upchuck]

“We cannot afford to spend valuable time and resources this session on divisive legislation that is intended to criminalize hard working immigrants and which will devastate our Texas economy,” said Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, co-chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

Memo to Veronica: If by, "hard working immigrants," you mean illegal aliens, then get a clue. They have already been criminalized when they broke into YOUR country.

[WesternPacific]

Texas at one time had a right to succeed from the Union. Does anyone know which Governor relinquished that right? I believe it was relinquished in the last few years.

[upchuck]

And, one day, some Islamic terrorist will sneak a bomb across the southern border.

I suspect that has already happened, perhaps multiple times with various kinds of WMDs.

[wolfcreek]

I agree with everything but, the last statement. Impeachment would be too good for a President willing to sell us out.

[muawiyah]

Texas seceded; made war against the United States; lost the war; was allowed to re-enter the Union on American terms ~ end of story.

[muawiyah]

Why should we impeach our President for the crimes commited by Texans?

Wouldn't it be better to lay to on some of their more leftwing major cities like Austin and Houstin with a thermonuclear barrage!?

Then we tend to "W".

Somebody figured out how we get our hands on that doggone "football" yet?

[ClaireSolt]

Then, I think we should build the fence on the border between TC Ca and the rest of us.

[wolfcreek]

"Why should we impeach our President for the crimes committed by Texans?'


He is a Texan, sort of.


"Wouldn't it be better to lay to on some of their more left wing major cities like Austin and Houston with a thermonuclear barrage!?"


Please give me some advance notice. I don't want to be down wind.

[SwinneySwitch]

Texas operates under the amended Constitution of 1876 today.

[WesternPacific]

Not really true. Texas was allowed to keep the right to succeed until just a few years ago. It was never seriously considered but the option was there anyway.

[Dick Vomer]

i hope that the Texans that voted for this asshat "CHET EDWARDS" will see that when you vote for the democrat party....you get a weasel.

This clown ran on being a "conservative" that could "save" the Waco VA hospital. It was never going to go away, but he made people believe that he could "save" the hospital. he has Texas A&M University and Waco in his district that is conservative....

will all CONSERVATIVE patriotic Texans in this clown's district e-mail the newspapers, tv stations, and his home page in order to NEVER forget that he stabbed the President and all of our soldiers in the back.

[muawiyah]

No, you want to be UPWIND. Just stay tuned to FR. I'm sure if someone figures out how Austin can be gotten rid of, it'll be posted here.

[DaGman]

At last, some sanity. Border enforcement is a federal responsibility and not a state responsibility. State politicians want to grandstand border control for their own reelection ambitions because it just so happens to be the issue of the day.

If Texas has tax money left over to do border enforcement then we all need refunds because Texas has entirely too much money.

[SwinneySwitch]

Buenos noche, amigo!

[DaGman]

A tu tambien!