El Paso, Texas Mayor not in favor of the Wall

Sentimental Race Politics

Published on August 26, 2007 By jesseledesma In Politics

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The picture above is of the mayor of the City of El Paso, Texas and the mayor of its border city in Mexico, Juarez.

In the El Paso Sunday times of August 26, 2007 a story titled “Cities join hands against wall appeared. Adriana M. Chavez wrote this story.

The story got my eye because El Paso is a city of over 80% Hispanics and even in these national security challenging times people still choose to pander to race politics and jeopardize national security.

One of the quotes from this story makes it appear that the federal government of America is against good relations with Mexico just because a Wall is going to be built to keep people from entering the USA illegally. ” In a show of unity against the proposed wall, El Paso Mayor John Cook and Juarez Mayor Hector Murguia Lardizabal shook hands and embraced as they discussed the importance of maintaining a positive relationship between the two cities and countries”. So building the wall means a negative relationship between the two cities.

In addition, two next quotes I think are very interesting.

“People in Washington (D.C.) and other parts of the country don’t understand the symbiotic relationship between El Paso and Juarez”. This is attributed to Mayor Cook.

“We share the same culture, the same air, the same water and the same food…”, is also attribute to Cook.

Personally, I think America would be just fine if Juarez disappeared. However, this is not my problem with this story.

I find mayor Cook’s comments in this article absent of the terrorist reality Americans find themselves in today. Yes, there are families in this border town with member living on both sides. In addition, there is an immigration process for the lawful and orderly movement of people between El Paso and Juarez.

People choosing to enter in to this country illegally are showing that they have no regard for the people of the United States of America. The Mayor of El Paso has a position of notoriety and should consider how his words influence people. Right now, the US government needs more support then criticisms and demonstrations.

For me the issue with the “proposed wall” is one of “why isn’t it built yet?” I do not see it as the American government separating families and putting undo hardship on the average person.

My other problem with the story is that the Mayor of El Paso presumes to speak for everyone in El Paso. What does he mean by “We all share the same culture”? El Paso, Texas is multi culture. There are diverse diets, music, religions, races, and ethnicities. It is not all Mexican.

The mayor thinks the wall is a bad idea. I think it is a great idea. Therefore, we do not all think alike.

The wall is necessary not only to keep Mexicans out, but to keep terrorist out also. I heard on Laura Ingraham’s radio show that some big shot in American government said middle easterners are starting to pay attention to the border area between El Paso and Juarez. Ms. Ingraham was reading from a story in the El Paso Times.

I just think that it is very wrong for a leader of a city to make statements about cultures and families when speaking about a serious immigration issue such as the wall that should be built when the issues is about security and preventing crime, not hurting the average individual.

Comments

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 26, 2007

"I got across the border, now screw the rest of y'all!"

MasonM

on Aug 26, 2007

He's just worried about losing his housekeeper and gardener and having to pay new ones legal wages.

Jewbu

on Aug 26, 2007

Hello jesseledesma,

We have very different views on this topic. I think if the "issue" is terrorism, a "wall" is hardly an answer. A "terrorist" is not (or should not be) stupid and would easily be able to covertly gain legal access to the US.

Walls are worthless, easily gotten around or under, and with over a thousand miles (southern border) and over three thousand miles (northern border) to wall up, expensive in the extreme. (Oh, that's right, its not about Canadians or US like-a-likes, its about the brown gardeners, housekeepers, and such, so we only need to somehow pay for that southern wall).

Moreover, I just don't like the appearance or symbolism of a wall. After-all, didn't everyone sigh and hearts go a-pit-ta-pat when then President Reagan asked President Gorbachev to "tear down that wall"?

See ya.

Jewbu

on Aug 27, 2007

LW, the author's intent was to suggest a wall was an anti-terror device. That's a load. I am sorry if you feel denounced. I am not specifically doing so. I AM saying the wall idea is a very bad and very costly one, but if we really thought it would curb terror and illegal immigration it should be applied equally on all borders. While it is true the Berlin Wall was designed to keep people in, that wall was a huge symbol of a nation's fear. Is that really how you want the United States to be seen?

Be well.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 27, 2007

Where do they get the money to pay these smugglers?

Sometimes indentured servitude, LW. There's a dairy in NV that I know of that pays the coyotes, and basically owns the illegals for six months...giving them $3 an hour to live off of, while working them 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to get their forged papers at the end of their stay.

Knowing this company exists makes me wonder how many others exist...and how many people are exploited by these sick bastards who should be locked away.

Jythier

on Aug 27, 2007

From the way some people react you wouldn't think we were putting gates in it for legitimate travelers to go through. Nope, just a long wall with no way in, no way out...

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