Comments on: Two Sides of the Border Wall http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:51:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Steven Gail McLeod http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-75405 Steven Gail McLeod Mon, 05 May 2008 01:08:21 +0000 http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-75405 Will you people in Brownsville and the rest of Texas please finally get serious about enforcing our national immigrations law for the sake of all of us? I have been concerned about it ever since I've been of voting age and I am 55 years old. Please- I know you've grown used to it because you see so much of it on a daily basis, but it really is a serious problem even way up here in Oregon. Illegals are not just the grubby little farm workers taking jobs that Americans supposedly don't want anymore, we see them in all phases of commerce and industry now; construction manufacturing and even high tech. Please, stop the madness! Will you people in Brownsville and the rest of Texas please finally get serious about enforcing our national immigrations law for the sake of all of us? I have been concerned about it ever since I’ve been of voting age and I am 55 years old. Please- I know you’ve grown used to it because you see so much of it on a daily basis, but it really is a serious problem even way up here in Oregon. Illegals are not just the grubby little farm workers taking jobs that Americans supposedly don’t want anymore, we see them in all phases of commerce and industry now; construction manufacturing and even high tech. Please, stop the madness!

]]> By: Scott Nicol http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-75101 Scott Nicol Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:36:22 +0000 http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-75101 The figures that Duncan Hunter tossed out, and those of FAIR cited by Juan Reynoso in his comment, are complete fabrications. Hunter does not mention that in fiscal year 2007 the Border Patrol reported a 7% increase in crossings in the San Diego sector. In the same period there was a 34% decrease in the Rio Grande Valley, bringing crossings to a 15 year low, and in the Del Rio sector they saw a 46% decrease. Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio have never had walls, while San Diego has the biggest and most fortified walls of any part of the border. The Border Patrol was very proud of these statistics, and Chertoff held a press conference in November to crow about the Border Patrol's success. One would think that Rep. Hunter would have been paying attention to the news. He could read the press release on the Border Patrol website if he needs to catch up: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/2007_news_releases/112007/11072007_5.xml So even if you believe the absurd allegation that fully 12% of the children in Texas schools are in the country illegally, the wall will not stop more people from entering the country. Hunter and Tancredo like it because it makes a cool backdrop, and when they were running for president no one listened to a word that they said except when they railed against undocumented immigrants. The figures that Duncan Hunter tossed out, and those of FAIR cited by Juan Reynoso in his comment, are complete fabrications. Hunter does not mention that in fiscal year 2007 the Border Patrol reported a 7% increase in crossings in the San Diego sector. In the same period there was a 34% decrease in the Rio Grande Valley, bringing crossings to a 15 year low, and in the Del Rio sector they saw a 46% decrease. Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio have never had walls, while San Diego has the biggest and most fortified walls of any part of the border. The Border Patrol was very proud of these statistics, and Chertoff held a press conference in November to crow about the Border Patrol’s success. One would think that Rep. Hunter would have been paying attention to the news. He could read the press release on the Border Patrol website if he needs to catch up: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/2007_news_releases/112007/11072007_5.xml

So even if you believe the absurd allegation that fully 12% of the children in Texas schools are in the country illegally, the wall will not stop more people from entering the country. Hunter and Tancredo like it because it makes a cool backdrop, and when they were running for president no one listened to a word that they said except when they railed against undocumented immigrants.

]]> By: Juan Reynoso http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-74997 Juan Reynoso Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:02:17 +0000 http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=913#comment-74997 Illegal Immigration Costs Texans tax payers Nearly $4.7 Billion a Year, why we should continue paying to subsidize illegal cheap labor for the greedy corporations and business? Today is your chance to vote out of office the corrupt politicians that promoted sanctuary for illegal aliens and vote no for any programs that will benefit illegal aliens. Our property taxes are high because we have to pay for the education of illegal aliens and the children’s of illegal aliens. Enough is enough we can stop this invasion of illegal aliens, we must take responsibility for the future of our communities. Build the fence and vote our of office all the politicians that are pro illegal immgration and sactuary to illegal aliens. In Texas, mass illegal immigration is draining at least $4.65 billion a year out of state coffers, finds a new FAIR report, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Texans. The Texas cost study, authored by Jack Martin, FAIR's special projects director, is the latest in a series of reports conducted by FAIR about the impact of mass illegal immigration on individual states. Other recent studies have analyzed costs in California and Arizona. Looking only at the expenses for education, health care and incarceration, FAIR estimates that the state's 1.5 million illegal aliens cost Texas about $4.65 billion a year, or about $725 per native-headed household. Using a 1994 study published by the Urban Institute as a baseline, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Texans looks at Census Bureau and other data to estimate the explosive growth in the size and cost of illegal immigration in the nation's second most populous state. Among the report's key findings are: • Texas spends more than $4 billion a year to provide K-12 education for the children of illegal aliens. • These children account for nearly 12 percent of the total K-12 school population. • Taxpayer-funded medical outlays for health care provided to the state's illegal alien population amount to about $520 million a year. • The uncompensated cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in Texas's state and county prisons amounts to at least $150 million a year. If all of the other programs and services used by illegal aliens were accounted for as well, the cost to Texas would be significantly higher, finds the report. Should President Bush's plan to allow millions of illegal aliens become "guest workers," and bring additional family members to join them, these basic costs can also be expected to increase significantly Illegal Immigration Costs Texans tax payers Nearly $4.7 Billion a Year, why we should continue paying to subsidize illegal cheap labor for the greedy corporations and business? Today is your chance to vote out of office the corrupt politicians that promoted sanctuary for illegal aliens and vote no for any programs that will benefit illegal aliens. Our property taxes are high because we have to pay for the education of illegal aliens and the children’s of illegal aliens. Enough is enough we can stop this invasion of illegal aliens, we must take responsibility for the future of our communities. Build the fence and vote our of office all the politicians that are pro illegal immgration and sactuary to illegal aliens.
In Texas, mass illegal immigration is draining at least $4.65 billion a year out of state coffers, finds a new FAIR report, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Texans. The Texas cost study, authored by Jack Martin, FAIR’s special projects director, is the latest in a series of reports conducted by FAIR about the impact of mass illegal immigration on individual states. Other recent studies have analyzed costs in California and Arizona.
Looking only at the expenses for education, health care and incarceration, FAIR estimates that the state’s 1.5 million illegal aliens cost Texas about $4.65 billion a year, or about $725 per native-headed household. Using a 1994 study published by the Urban Institute as a baseline, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Texans looks at Census Bureau and other data to estimate the explosive growth in the size and cost of illegal immigration in the nation’s second most populous state.
Among the report’s key findings are:
• Texas spends more than $4 billion a year to provide K-12 education for the children of illegal aliens.
• These children account for nearly 12 percent of the total K-12 school population.
• Taxpayer-funded medical outlays for health care provided to the state’s illegal alien population amount to about $520 million a year.
• The uncompensated cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in Texas’s state and county prisons amounts to at least $150 million a year.
If all of the other programs and services used by illegal aliens were accounted for as well, the cost to Texas would be significantly higher, finds the report. Should President Bush’s plan to allow millions of illegal aliens become “guest workers,” and bring additional family members to join them, these basic costs can also be expected to increase significantly

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