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LA JOYA, Texas (KVEO)Illegal border traffic is ata 20-year-high andsmall cities in South Texas are seeing thebiggesteffects of it.

Since October 2020, 726,401 people have been encountered by U.S. Border Patrol personnel.

A majority of them crossing through small Texas border towns of the Rio Grande Valley like La Joya, Roma, Hidalgo, Mission, and Rio Grande City.

I had a conversation this morning with individuals that had immigrants in their backyards and yes, we are having an influx of immigrants and its affecting our municipalities, said Joel Villarreal, Mayor of Rio Grande City. Our residents are concerned and sometimes its a divide should I handle this as a humanitarian standpoint or do I handle this with a risk of threat or harm.

Its a question, Villareal asks himself time and time again.

Villareal has been the mayor of the Starr County city for more than six years and says the immigration increase is not a city issue, but a federal problem that needs a serious solution from Washington D.C.

We have not had a truly comprehensive plan or reform, so why not? Why is it so difficult for us to have true immigration reform and whether its republicans or democrats in power, that hasnt occurred, said Villarreal. Are we ready as a country to truly have immigration reform or are we going to continue pushing the can and let someone else handle it? Right now it doesnt seem like it and it does get politized.

In the last six months, U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley have apprehended more than 200,000 for illegally entering the country, which a majority of those entries are happening in the smaller towns that make up the Rio Grande Valley.

In La Joya, which has a population of about 4,500 people, there remains whats left of an unfinished border wall.

When the Biden administration took over, border wall construction stopped and now the mayor of La Joya says its triggered an increase in immigration to his city.

In the past few months weve had a huge increase in illegals coming across, said Mayor Isidro Casanova, Since January it started picking up a lot.

Mayor Casanova, who was formally the Chief of Police for La Joya, says what concerns him is how its impacting the local police department.

Unfortunately, we have to get them off the streets and help out Border Patrol to babysit these people as they wait for transport and of course with all the crossing, said Casanova. Theyre getting off the road, so they have to chase them behind fences, in peoples yards so it is taking a toll on our local police department.

Another big concern for city officials is the way illegal immigration is affecting residents who call the quiet, tight-knit border town theirhome.

They cross and then they jump into peoples backyards, some of them have had their property damaged like their fences torn down, said Casanova. I understand theyre upset, but we are trying the best thatwe can with the personnel that we have.

Starting in La Joya and driving west into Starr County, youll see a sea of Texas DPS Troopers parked every few feet patrolling the roads for Operation Lone Star.

The operation, put in place by Governor Greg Abbott, to crack down on human trafficking, drugs, and illegal immigration has the troopers in the full force of the border communities.

We welcome them, we really do, we are a border community and we welcome the law enforcement, said Villarreal.

Both mayors agree that permanent immigration reform is needed and a presidential visit should be a priority.

I really would like someone from the White House to come down here and see and witness first hand whats really going on, said Casanova, Especially for us little, small border towns, we need help and assistance, so hopefully itll make a difference.

With the nation staring at South Texas through a microscope, Villarreal wants the reality to shine through, which is far from the narrative being portrayed in the national spotlight.

We are more than what is being portrayed at the national level. The Rio Grande Valley is a great place to live and forge the American dream and we need to continue to promote that narrative. This is a great place to live, said Villarreal.

Both mayors say their local police departments are in constant with Border Patrol because of the increase in immigration in their cities.

Both police departments participate in Operation Stonegarden, a federally funded program that allows local police to assist federal agents in the stop of illegal traffic.

In the last six months, there have been more than 250 human stash houses shut down in the Rio Grande Valley andagents have encountered 60 groups of 100 or more people.

The majority of these large groups are composed of family members and unaccompanied children.

Read the original:
Small South Texas towns overwhelmed by immigration influx - KGBT-TV

June 6, 2021 - SACRAMENTO Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturdayissued a proclamationdeclaring June 2021, as Immigrant Heritage Monthin the State of California.

The text of the proclamationis below:

PROCLAMATION

Immigrant Heritage Month is a time to remember that nearly all of us can trace our heritage to another nation. We must never forget that many of us are here because our ancestors believed in the promise of this place. We honor and celebrate the many and varied contributions of immigrants who came to this country to work hard, to seek opportunity or protection and to give a better life to their children.

Nowhere are those contributions more evident than in the many immigrants who worked on the front lines of our fight against COVID-19 providing lifesaving care in our hospitals, serving our most vulnerable loved ones in skilled nursing facilities, maintaining the food supply chain and more.

The pandemic underscored what we already knew to be true, immigrants are essential and federal immigration reform is long overdue. The time is now to ensure a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants that will also support a stronger and more equitable recovery. As our nation works to ensure a pathway to citizenship, California will continue to lead in building more inclusive and just policies.

In California, we understand that our strength is in our diversity. Our economy, our universities and our communities are stronger and more vibrant because of the nearly 11 million immigrants who call California home about a quarter of all foreign-born people nationwide. Half of all children in California have at least one immigrant parent. California will always support and stand with immigrant families and newly arrived immigrants who are just beginning their next chapter in America.

During Immigrant Heritage Month and every month, let us continue to recognize and celebrate the immigrants of the past, present and future, as we live out the meaning of e pluribus unum out of many, one.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim June 2021 as Immigrant Heritage Month.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 4th day of June 2021.

GAVIN NEWSOM Governor of California

ATTEST:

SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D. Secretary of State

Source: Office of the Governor

Read the original:
Governor Gavin Newsom Issues A Proclamation Declaring June 2021, As Immigrant Heritage Month In The State Of California - Sierra Sun Times

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to the Department of Homeland Security formally terminating the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program:

"Today's announcement by the Department of Homeland Security that the United States is formally withdrawing from the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) agreement with Mexico erases all doubt that the policy of the Biden administration is completely open borders and an end to all meaningful enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

"Anyone who might have thought that the chaos that has gripped our southern border since the day President Biden took office was the result of incompetence or misplaced humanitarianism can no longer harbor such illusions. The border crisis is a design feature of the Biden policy, not a flaw in its policy.

"MPP was the most successful tool in stemming the flood of migrants attempting to reach the United States and defraud our political asylum system. It deterred those with specious claims from attempting to abuse our asylum system by sending a clear message that they would not succeed which is precisely why the Biden administration, driven by radical left extremists, immediately put it on ice and is now doing away with it entirely.

"Even though the MPP has been suspended since January, the agreement still provides the United States with a brake on runaway illegal immigration should we choose to use it. The formal repudiation of the MPP means that that tool will no longer be available.

"In his announcement, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also indicated that the last line of defense to unchecked illegal immigration, Title 42, a legal provision invoked by the Trump administration to protect public health in the face of a global pandemic, is also on the chopping block. Despite new outbreaks and new strains of COVID that could threaten public health and our economy, even that protection may soon fall victim to the open borders zealots in the White House."

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [emailprotected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

http://www.fairus.org

Visit link:
Biden Administration Formally Ends MPP Agreement with Mexico Leaving No Doubt That Border Chaos is the Policy, Charges FAIR - PRNewswire

To the editor:

Anybody whos lived in America for any amount of time has probably heard debate about our immigration policy.

Some think that we should completely seal the borders, and send all immigrants back to their native country, while others think that we should relax border security and allow an easier path to citizenship.

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 placed strict limitations on undocumented immigrants if they had been in the U.S. 180 to 365 days and left, they cant return for a year. If theyre in this country for more than a year and they leave, theyre barred from entry for a decade unless they have a waiver.

If they enter without a waiver, they need to wait another decade to get a waiver. This was in an attempt to tighten border control and security, and yet, illegal border crossings continued.

And not all of those who came into the U.S. chose to come, nor were they in control. Yet they still faced the same dangers of deportation and the same bars from many aspects of life. Who were these people? Children.

To combat this, in 2001 Congress passed the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. This was a revolutionary act. It stated that undocumented children who had come to theU.S. under the age of 16 could get higher education, something that would have previously been much harder to attain.

It also stated that if the person in question met a certain set of criteria, the attorney general could close the case for their deportation. This added a safety net for undocumented immigrants, but in a few years, even more protection was awaiting the undocumented children of America.

2012 was a monumental year for immigration policy in theU.S. for one reason: DACA. Introduced as an executive order from then-President Obama, DACA promised to give a stable place in America to hundreds of thousands of undocumented minors.

Despite its importance, many people are still fairly uneducated about immigration in the U.S. So I think it's important that we as a community take the time to learn and educate ourselves about immigration.

One of the best ways we can help those seeking a life in this country is to take ourselves out of blissful ignorance and to become better advocates for those who cannot speak for themselves, or have been silenced.

Katherine Daignault

Newburyport

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LETTER: Getting educated about immigration | Letters To The Editor | newburyportnews.com - The Daily News of Newburyport

Americans consumed on average 653 pounds of dairy products per person in 2019, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.

Its good to know Im above average, I guess? Everyone has an entire shelf for their cheeses in the fridge, right?

Americans like their cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream. And with the innovation currently underway in the dairy industry for new food products and new ways to use dairy as a food ingredient, the U.S. dairy industry is poised to grow, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

But we need a steady and reliable source of labor if its going to grow to meet the potential thats there.

In 2014, the National Milk Producers Federation commissioned a survey from Texas AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University, The Economic Impacts of Immigrant Labor on U.S. Dairy Farms. It found that immigrant labor makes up 51% of all dairy labor, and dairies that employ immigrant labor produce 79% of the total U.S. milk supply.

The survey also found that if the U.S. dairy industry lost its foreign-born workforce, it would nearly double the retail milk price and cost the total U.S. economy more than $32 billion and 208,208 jobs.

About 64% of those losses would occur in input supply sectors and services provided to U.S. dairy farms.

Imagine what the price of feed grains would do with fewer farms and fewer cows on the board.

The issue of labor and immigration reform came up while I was talking with American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall on his recent trip to Kansas. He says labor is the biggest limiting factor for American agriculture. He hears from members who want to bring the next generation back to the family farm and expand, but they cant do so because theres a limited labor supply.

The NMPF agrees, and says now is the time for real reform in farm labor.

In an April 5 opinion editorial, NMPF CEO Jim Mulhern writes, Farmers and their workforce have proven time and again in the past year that they can rise to substantial challenges. Its time for Congress to do the same. If the pandemic showed anything, its that most of the milk in this country comes from farms that employ immigrant labor, he continues. These workers, many of whom are undocumented, kept food production going during the pandemic, he writes.

Its time we bring them out of the shadows and give them the legal recognition that they deserve, Mulhern writes.

A big first step happened in March when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, the only piece of ag labor legislation to pass that chamber in the past 35 years, according to NMPF. It doesnt go nearly far enough, but at least it was passed, and with the help of 30 Republicans.

And yet without the support of the Farm Bureau, which said there were flaws in the bill that the organization hopes are ironed out as the U.S. Senate debates it.

Ok, its not a perfect bill, but its a start and one weve waited 35 years to have. We all agree that fixing the broken ag labor system is critical to our competitiveness on the global stage, just not on how we accomplish that.

Mulhern has a good point. Throwing out a compromise legislation to hold out for a better deal does no one any good. No legislation is going to be perfect, but we need some movement on this issue.

Its important for Kansas dairy farmers, and those communities that rely on them as economic boosters. Its important for the growing dairy processing sector in our state.

And, its important for my little cheese habit.

The National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association contributed to this opinion piece.

Read more:
Dairies need progress on ag labor reform - Farm Progress