EL PASO, Texas – The Texas Border Coalition is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect 2.8 million people along the Texas-Mexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville.
On Tuesday, Aug. 1, the group sent a letter to both President Joe Biden and Governor Greg Abbott urging them to “work together and find collaborative solutions to address the challenges faced by border communities.”
“We believe that cooperation between federal and state authorities is essential in achieving smart and effective border management,” said El Paso County Commissioner and TBC Chairman David Stout (pictured above).
Stout said TBC wants Biden and Abbott to coordinate their efforts and implement humane and intelligent immigration and border management solutions. He said TBC is also requesting Abbott withdraw the buoys and razor wire in the Rio Grande. At the same time, Stout said, the Department of Justice should withdraw the lawsuit it filed to prevent Abbott carrying out Operation Lone Star.
“By working together, with the federal government taking the lead, both federal and state governments can better address the needs of the people living in the border region and create a safer, more prosperous environment for everyone involved,” a press release from TBC stated.
Stoout said TBC has been working closely with the state and federal government to educate, advocate, and secure funding for transportation, immigration and border security, workforce development, economic development, and health care.
Stout said that by linking mayors, city council members, county judges, county executives, businesses, corporations, and community leaders, TBC has been able to advocate for smart and effective border management policies for more than 15 years.
He said the coalition believes that modernizing the U.S. immigration system and implementing strategies to combat human and contraband smuggling at border ports are crucial elements in achieving effective border management.
Stout said TBC has a history of supporting local, state, and federal law enforcement officials in their efforts to work together, while recognizing that the federal government has purview over border management.
He said the coalition shares concerns expressed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials that razor wire in the Rio Grande installed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) impedes immigration enforcement and CBP’s ability to interdict individuals crossing between ports of entry.
“While our border communities are among the safest in the country, these conflicts between authorities only serve to disrupt progress,” Stout said.
Letter to Biden and Abbott
Here is the letter TBC sent to the president and the governor:
August 1, 2023
The Honorable Joseph Biden
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
AND
The Honorable Greg Abbott
Governor of Texas
Texas Capitol
Austin, Texas 78701
Dear President Biden and Governor Abbott:
As the collective voice of border communities on issues that affect Texas-Mexico border region’s quality of life, commerce, and public policy, the Texas Border Coalition (TBC) urges you to cooperate with one another to bring solutions to border communities.
TBC is comprised of mayors, city council members, county judges, county executives, businesses, corporations, and community leaders. Collectively, we represent more than 2.8 million people who reside along the more than 1,250 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, from Brownsville to El Paso, Texas.
For more than 15 years, TBC has advocated for smart, effective border management policies. To achieve this goal, we have supported measures to modernize the failed U.S. immigration system and for management strategies to defeat human and contraband smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border.
We believe both elements are essential to achieving smart, effective management at the border. We also believe that enforcement officials on the border must work together to achieve our national and state goals.
While our border communities are among the safest in the country, fights between federal and state authorities that turn the border region into a political football sully our standing and harm our people. We urge you to put aside intergovernmental rivalries and join with us to address issues on the border.
Local, state, and federal law enforcement officials on the border have a long history of working together. We share concerns expressed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials that razor wire in the Rio Grande installed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) impedes immigration enforcement and CBP’s ability to interdict individuals crossing between ports of entry. Most recently, the placement of buoys in the Rio Grande River have led to a federal lawsuit in which the federal and state governments accuse each other of violating the law.
These disputes do little to improve the lives of people on the border. We demand and deserve better.
Texas border communities urge action, now, to coordinate state and federal efforts to implement humane and smart immigration and border management solutions.
Sincerely,
David Stout
Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
County Commissioner, El Paso County, Texas
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