BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Texas Border Coalition, which represents communities from Brownsville to El Paso, has commented on the deaths of more than 50 migrants found in a semi-tractor in San Antonio.
In a news release, TBC says the deaths are “a stark reminder that the U.S. needs to reject the current patchwork of immigration laws and policies that endanger immigrants and asylum seekers.”
The news release was issued to publicize a letter TBC sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The letter was co-written by the group’s chairman, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., and the group’s vice-chairman, LeRoy Cavazos-Reyna, vice president of government and international affairs for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is TBC’s vice chair.
“The tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio earlier this week, in which over 50 immigrants and asylum seekers lost their lives, reminds us of the urgent need to change our policies to restore an orderly, consistent immigration system,” Treviño and Cavazos-Reyna co-wrote.
The two urged Mayorkas to address the humanitarian crisis and convene all relevant stakeholders to find more practical and compassionate solutions.
“We believe the tragedy in San Antonio echoes the tragedy in Uvalde and should create a similar opportunity to change a multi-decade dynamic, potentially yielding a legislative break-through. Like the recently enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill, effective leadership could forge bipartisan agreement on key immigration reforms, such as for DREAMERs, agricultural and essential workers,” Treviño and Cavazos-Reyna said.
“These reforms could ease the desperation that contributed to the deaths in San Antonio by providing a legal way for the great number of low-skilled workers wishing to enter the United States.”
Here is the TBC letter:
June 29, 2022
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20395
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
On behalf of the Texas Border Coalition, we write to you to advocate against the current patchwork of immigration laws and policies that endanger immigrants and asylum seekers. Some policies, or lack thereof, have empowered bad actors, driven up illegal border crossings and fueled a rise in immigrant deaths at the United States-Mexico border.
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) acts as the collective voice of border communities on issues that affect the Texas-Mexico border region’s quality of life and public policy. TBC is comprised of elected, community and business leaders who collectively represent the more than 2.5 million people who reside along the 1,250-mile Texas-Mexico border, from South Padre Island to El Paso.
The tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio earlier this week, in which over 50 immigrants and asylum seekers lost their lives, reminds us of the urgent need to change our policies to restore an orderly, consistent immigration system. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 650 people died attempting to cross the United States-Mexico border last year, more than any other year since an international agency began documenting immigrant deaths.
We are grateful for the Administration’s budget proposal to expand the resources for USCIS, which has been underfunded relative to the security agencies. Increased processing capacity and balancing our immigration system are part of a solution. For the sake of our border communities, migrants and our heritage as a nation of immigrants, we urge you to address this humanitarian crisis and convene all relevant stakeholders to find more practical and compassionate solutions.
We believe the tragedy in San Antonio echoes the tragedy in Uvalde and should create a similar opportunity to change a multi-decade dynamic, potentially yielding a legislative break-through. Like the recently enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun safety bill, effective leadership could forge bipartisan agreement on key immigration reforms, such as for DREAMERs, agricultural and essential workers. These reforms could ease the desperation that contributed to the deaths in San Antonio by providing a legal way for the great number of low-skilled workers wishing to enter the United States.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this important request. We look forward to your response on this matter, which has a severe economic and humanitarian impact on communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out me or any member of our coalition to discuss this situation further.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Eddie Treviño Jr.
Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
County Judge, Cameron County, Texas
C. LeRoy Cavazos-Reyna
Vice-Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
VP of Government and International Affairs, USHCC
Copies of the TBC letter were sent to:
The Honorable Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
The Honorable Esteban Moctezuma, Ambassador, Embassy of Mexico in the United States
Office of Public Engagement, The White House
The Honorable John Cornyn, U.S. Senator
The Honorable Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator
The Honorable Greg Abbott, Texas Governor
The Honorable Raul Ruiz, Chairman, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and CHC Members
Karinda Washington, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Partnership and Engagement, DHS
Charles L. Wollenhaupt, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Private Sector Office, DHS
Felicia Escobar Carrillo, Chief of Staff, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, DHS
Victor De Leon, Chief, Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Commissioner, DHS
Texas Border Congressional Caucus
Texas Border Legislative Delegation
Editor’s Note: Credit for the main image accompanying the above news story goes to KSAT of San Antonio.
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