Texas Legislature-Immigration gets a place on lawmakers' agenda

Houston Chronicle ^ | 04 Jan 2009 | James Pinkerton

[BGHater]

With more than a dozen bills on the issue already filed, immigration promises to be a hot topic during this year's state legislative session. And Houston lawmakers are sure to be key players on both sides.

The battle is part of a growing effort by state legislatures across the nation to tackle contentious issues related to immigration.

"It's definitely going to be an issue," said state Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston.

But Gallegos said the proposed legislation, filed mostly by Republican lawmakers, will be scrutinized — and perhaps scrubbed — by Hispanic legislators to ensure that bills are not aimed only at Latino immigrants. The legislative session begins Jan. 13 in Austin.

"We are going to have to see what kind of wording is in these bills — that it's fair for everybody and not just targeting one ethnicity — which is what it looks like they're trying to do," Gallegos said.

Last year, 13 states passed laws related to employment of immigrants, and 16 states passed legislation relating to driver's license regulations governing illegal immigrants, according to a report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. In all, 1,305 bills related to immigration were proposed last year, and 205 were enacted.

"The economy is the No. 1 issue affecting states, but immigration remains a hot-button topic debated in many legislatures across the country," said William T. Pound, the organization's executive director.

"Coincidentally, several states commissioned studies to investigate the economic and fiscal impacts of immigration, including state remedies to recover money owed to the state by the federal government," he said.

Louise Whiteford, president of Texans for Immigration Reform, based in Houston, said tough economic times are forcing state leaders to examine closely the costs of services provided to Texas' illegal population.

[wk4bush2004]

I’m so glad that we won Texas (like we should) in November, but I noticed something disturbing on the county results map. Most of Texas was red, but along the border, it was pretty much all blue and it looked like it was slowly “creeping” north.

[Beowulf9]

Hey, the Mexican’s are here illegally for money. Well, the Dems are going to take care of that. We’ll all be broke before 4 years are up...prob what the Mayan’s were onto long before we were.

[AuntB]

“Most of Texas was red, but along the border, it was pretty much all blue and it looked like it was slowly “creeping” north.”

Not just Texas, all the border states look like that. In fact, most cities, where the aliens go first, look like that.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Def Conservative]

Now that Strauss is gonna be Texas speaker expect a pro-open borders house

[SwinneySwitch]

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[Ron H.]

I heard Gallegos on the radio this morning being interviewed on the pending legislation and naturally he was parroting the tired old refrain that is you're against illegal immigration then surely you're a racist. He is trying to sound like he and others like Coleman will determine what legislation gets passed or not as if his opinion is the only one that counts.

I've got news for that racist pig, hide and watch and see just how much stroke you think you have.

[Ron H.]

Maybe the Texas D's will again resurrect their infamous
Texas Chicken D's run for the border this year.

[Kimberly GG]

“The economy is the No. 1 issue affecting states, but immigration remains a hot-button topic debated in many legislatures across the country,”

IDIOT. CONNECT THE DOTS.

PANDERING TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION = OUR ECONOMIC CRISIS!!!

Yes, I’m shouting. The silence is deafening on this issue.

[DaGman]

Immigration is a federal issue. If Texas has all this extra money to enforce immigration laws, I want my part of that extra money back. Don’t use my money for political theater, and that’s all it is. Just like those cameras in the middle of no where that we were supposed to be able to monitor from the web. Never worked right. When they did manage to function they maybe caught one or two. Big waste of time and my money.

[Momma Republican]

This is why it is so important to bring more Hispanics into the Republican party. If we don’t, we’re finished.

[raybbr]

This is why it is so important to bring more Hispanics into the Republican party. If we don’t, we’re finished.

How, exactly, do we do that? What more can we promise them to get them to vote for a conservative?

[wk4bush2004]

“This is why it is so important to bring more Hispanics into the Republican party.”

We need to find a way to do that without legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants. We must remain tough on immigration.

I have nothing against Hispanics, however, I don’t want to see “special” things designed to cater to them, such as bilingual education and seeing signs in English & Spanish when I go into Lowe’s.

If they are going to live in this country, they need to learn to read, write and speak English.

[Momma Republican]

We need to offer a fair and practical solution to illegal immigration, and we need to show that we mean it.

[Ron H.]

I don’t know how else to say it other than that you’re wrong. Pandeering hasn’t worked. Kissing their backsides may be appealing to you, it isn’t to me!

[raybbr]

We need to offer a fair and practical solution to illegal immigration, and we need to show that we mean it.

Okay, I have an idea. All illegals that want to go can go now and not be arrested. Those that stay will be arrested and deported with NO chance of ever becoming a U.S. citizen.