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Texas Border Coalition: Democratic, GOP Platforms
Miss the Point on Immigration, Border Security
EAGLE PASS, Texas (Sept. 2, 2008) – Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster, chairman of
the Texas Border Coalition, today issued the following statement expressing
disappointment over the immigration and border security planks in the 2008
Democratic and Republic Party platforms.
“The Texas Border Coalition has reviewed the Republican and Democratic
Party platforms dealing with immigration and border security, and while we find
a lot to admire in both, we also find both miss the point.
“The Republican platform supports giving border agents the tools and
resources they need to protect our sovereignty, to secure the borders, and our
ports of entry. We like this approach.
“The Democratic platform supports additional personnel, infrastructure,
and technology on the border and at our ports of entry, more Customs and Border
Protection agents equipped with better technology and real-time intelligence. It
also commits to comprehensive immigration reform in the first year of the new
Administration, legalizing the undocumented, a guest worker program, and tough
enforcement on the border and in the workplace. We like that, too.
“However, some of the immigration planks proposed by Republicans are
unnecessarily hostile in tone and fail to advance a civil dialogue about solving
our nation’s immigration crisis.
“We are disappointed with the Democrats’ silence on the border wall. We
disagree with the Republican call for completing the wall in haste.
“Illegal border crossing won’t be controlled until the U.S. has a well-run
immigration system that expands avenues for legal workers and cracks down on
illegal hiring. When immigration is reformed, we won’t need a border wall,
although we will continue to require beefed up Border Patrol and Customs forces
to halt illegal drug smuggling. The border fence will have to be torn down.
“Congress and the president – along with the nation’s two political
parties – need to acknowledge that the border wall is a waste of money and join
us in implementing alternatives that will achieve real border security.” |
