| Local Texas Pols Play Both Sides |
|
|
|
| Written by Len Sherman | |
| Thursday, 15 May 2008 | |
|
The Houston Chronicle ran a story that reveals quite a bit – and none of it good – about where communities in the southwestern part of the country are headed. We are facing a situation where towns and cities near the Mexican border are in danger of blurring their loyalties, and virtually forgetting the uniqueness and precious value of their American identity. The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted 3-1 Monday in favor of a resolution that calls for stopping the building of the border wall and says local law enforcement officials should not enforce federal immigration laws. The resolution also emphasizes placing a moratorium on immigration raids, ensuring the enforcement of labor laws and civil protection regardless of a worker's immigration status and stopping programs that criminalize immigrants. Commissioner Veronica Escobar said the commissioners aren't advocating having open borders or not enforcing immigration laws with the vote. "It's very important we tell the federal government we want a voice in policies that impact our daily lives," Escobar said. "If we allow federal or state policymakers to create policy that impacts us without expressing our own concerns, we are not doing our constituents justice." Commissioner Miguel Teran, who put the item on the agenda, said some current immigration proposals are based on racism. "Nine-eleven (the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001) came in from the north, but we're not building walls over there. We're building them here," he said. I’m not one to support the building of the wall, largely for practical reasons: It will cost a fortune and it won’t work. To roughly quote Sheriff Joe, If they build a fence, I’m going into the shovel-and-ladder business. In other words, and this is the essential truth of the immigration story, not only on the Mexican border, but the story of our relatives who risked everything to come to America whether fleeing Irish potato famines, Russian czars, Polish pogroms, Cuban communism, Southeast Asian war, African genocide, on and on – the essential truth is that determined people, people who hope for more for themselves and their children, people who believe that life can better, people who believe in a vision of America, will find a way to cross the border and start new lives. Nevertheless, that reality does not excuse the actions and words of the El Paso County commissioners. Protecting the borders is not about racist, Commissioner Teran. The 9/11 terrorists did not come in from Canada, assumedly “the north” to which he refers, apparently trying to set up some easy white north versus brown south racist dichotomy, but arrived via JFK and other airports. And “expressing our own concerns,” Commissioner Escobar, does not justify seeking to interfere with the enforcement of federal law. In order for us to figure out how to best deal with this pressing issue, we must put aside the hyperbole and lies and, God help us, politics, and talk about the truth, uncomfortable as it may be. One of those truths might be that some local elected officials in the southwest might be hedging their bets as to what the future will bring, and are playing both sides of the border against the middle, just in case this part of America continues to become less American, and more Mexican. |
|
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 May 2008 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|