Governor Greg Abbott has called the Texas Legislature to Austin to pass additional billions of dollars for border security just a few months after the lawmakers delivered $10 billion—also for securing the border.
And during the committee discussions for the new massive appropriation, it was exposed that more billions would be needed again for securing the border.
Also being proposed is House Bill 4, that would make unauthorized entry into Texas a state crime, allowing state police to arrest violators. There is concern about how this new law would be enforced and if it could create a state where anyone (including citizens and legal residents) who appears like a foreign national could be arrested off the street and face deportation.
Texas Senator Roland Gutierrez is opposed to these Abbott-backed bills and is calling for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. Gutierrez, who is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and will face Sen. Ted Cruz in the general election, has released a five-point plan to remedy the universally acknowledged broken immigration system.
Gutierrez says fixing the immigration system would end the draining of billions of dollars from public services like schools and hospitals that are needlessly flowing into over-inflated border security boondoggles.
Supplying needed labor into the U.S. market would also be a benefit, he says. “It’s time to tell the American people the truth. This country has 30 million job vacancies that Americans will not take. An increase of workers will put the U.S. economy on steroids and safeguard our social security program for all of us for the next 100 years,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez who is an immigration attorney and represents a district that includes San Antonio and a stretch of the Texas-Mexico border says the Republicans in Congress are refusing to address the border crisis because they “prefer chaos at the border to score political points.”
Guest:
Roland Gutierrez is a Texas State Senator. A member of the Democratic Party, Gutierrez has served as a member of the Texas Senate since 2021, representing District 19. He formerly served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2008 to 2021.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255 or email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview will be recorded November 1, 2023.
