ARLINGTON, Texas - Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza closed out a roundtable discussion featuring five Texas mayors by insisting the border region is safe.
The event was hosted by YTexas and held in Arlington. It featured Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan, Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez, and Garza.
In his remarks, Garza warned there would be a lot of misinformation and hyperbole about the safety of the border region because it is an election year.
“The border is safe,” Garza said, “We have our challenges with immigration but that doesn't mean that is an unsafe area. On the contrary, you just look at the numbers. You look at all the investment people moving into the area are making. It's a completely different story. But, unfortunately, we're going to be going through an election year.”
Garza described the South Texas border region as “rich in culture” and “vibrant.”
Garza then cited the example of Dr. Michael Hocker, dean of the UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
“The dean of the medical school moved from St. Louis, Missouri and he had never been down to our region. And when he made the shortlist, he told his family and friends, ‘I made the shortlist to this new medical school down in South Texas.’ And they told them, ‘oh no, it's unsafe, why would you do that?’”
Garza said Hocker has been in the Valley for a year and a half now.
“He tells me, ‘even if I'm not the dean, I don't want to leave here. I love this community. I love this region’.”
Garza said Hocker has told him that he needs to get with other mayors to tell the real story of the border region.
“He says, ‘you guys need to dispel what's out there because it is affecting us’.'
Garza said Hocker is right. “I think that's part of our all our (Texas mayors) jobs for the whole state. We need to tell our story, and doing it together goes a long way.”
