Texas can be a major player in immigration debate
Garcia: Texas can be a major player in immigration reform debate 
By Steve Taylor
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| Fernando Garcia, executive director of Border Networks for Human Rights, speaks at LUPE’s Mercedes office on Friday evening. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor) |
MERCEDES, Dec. 12 – Texas needs to play a major role in the national debate on immigration reform because it has such a large number of undocumented immigrants.
That was one of the messages Fernando Garcia, executive director of El Paso-based Border Networks for Human Rights, gave in a speech to immigrant and civil rights groups on Friday evening.
The meeting, held at La Unión del Pueblo Entero’s Mercedes office, was organized to start building a network of support for comprehensive immigration reform among churches, businesses, schools and the immigrant community in the Rio Grande Valley.
Garcia disputed claims that because Texas is a Republican state it will not be listened to in Washington, D.C., during the upcoming debate on immigration reform.
“Texas is on a tipping point right now. Things are changing in many ways,” Garcia said. “For example, Texas is second in the nation for the number of undocumented immigrants. You are talking about 1.5 to 2 million undocumented people. This makes us a player in the national discussion.”
Garcia said although the economy and national security are good reasons to implement immigration reform, in Texas a key factor will be the issue of families. “You cannot separate the immigration issue from families. In Texas we have a big Hispanic family, a big Mexican family, because of our closeness to Mexico. That makes this issue alive and well.”
Garcia is going round the state encouraging immigrants’ rights groups to partner with other organizations in support of immigration reform. He said it is a strategy that can help Texas become a loud voice for change in Washington, D.C.
“By pulling different communities together we can create a stronger voice,” Garcia said. “I do not think it is going to be a problem bringing together all of the families and groups. We did not have the movement before that we have now. Religious, progressive whites, unions, businesses, we can all work together on this. It is about the economy, security and families. We have the capacity to bring in other sectors to mobilize Texas. Texas is going to be a major player.”
Garcia said the coalition-building is already happening in other parts of Texas and he is convinced it can happen in the Valley. “Law enforcement is working with the immigrant community in other parts of Texas. So are elected officials. The movement is starting,” he said.
Garcia said the Valley will be crucial in building up support for immigration reform, because of its large immigrant community. He praised the work of groups such as LUPE, ARISE, and Proyecto Libertad. These groups are members of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, unveils the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009. Garcia told the audience that Gutierrez’s bill would be the “Rolls Royce” of immigration reform bills.
“Congressman Gutierrez’s bill will kickoff the whole discussion. It is the best bill possible and our goal will be to sustain most of the sections of the bill throughout the negotiations,” Garcia said. “We know it is going to be difficult. We know there are members of Congress that are very conservative on immigration reform; they want more enforcement and little else. But, we have to start really high to actually get something decent. That is the calculus.”
Garcia also announced plans for a massive rally in support of immigration reform that will take place in Austin on Feb. 20, 2010. “This rally will tell the nation that Texas supports comprehensive immigration reform and immigrants. It is going to be huge,” he said.
Martha Sanchez, a community organizer for LUPE in Mission, said the push for immigration reform is much stronger today than it was when U.S. Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., carried such legislation in 2005 and 2006.
“I cannot remember people being this aware back then,” Sanchez said. “I sense a lot of energy this time. People are organized, people are aware. All the people in the colonias know exactly about the introduction of Congressman Gutierrez’s bill. I think it speaks very well for the organization we have already done. It gives me hope that we can do it this time. Sí, Se Puede, this time.”
ARISE stands for ‘A Resource in Serving Equality,’ and it seeks to empower Latinas in the Rio Grande Valley. Its co-founder, Ramona Casas, said her group was excited to be part of a statewide coalition to bring about immigration reform.
“We are going to mobilize the community around this issue. This is the moment. This is the time,” Casas said. “We need to motivate the people, the businesses, and the schools. This is a problem for everybody. The economy benefits from immigrants. We are a successful country that was built on the backs of immigrants.”
Juanita Valdez-Cox, director of LUPE, thanked Garcia for his “insightful” presentation. She said that while the potential for immigration reform is great in 2010, it will only happen through hard work.
“Everything depends on the amount of work we put in. We have to reach out to the business community and the religious community because we all benefit from reform. However, we only have until next April or May to get this done. After that and you get into the mid-term elections,” Valdez-Cox said.
Valdez-Cox said she was encouraged to receive calls from five or six different pastors in the past week who want LUPE’s leaders to come and speak to their congregations about immigration reform. She said she will also be targeting the small businesses community. “It is to nobody’s benefit to have so many undocumented people here. They are so productive,” Valdez-Cox said.
