By Marty Schladen,
El Paso Times
Some Texas Democrats are accusing the Texas Department of Public Safety of distributing “propaganda” to the Legislature in an attempt to justify a $400-million-a-year expenditure on border security.
The department, which has surged police to the border, on April 8 sent lawmakers an article titled “America’s immigration system fails, but one state succeeds.” Published by the conservative American Enterprise Institue, the piece details what it calls failures in the U.S. immigration system, including possible corruption of Border Patrol agents and an antiquated visa system.
“The only bright spot appears to come out of Texas and the activities by the Texas Department of Public Safety,” the article says. “Given federal failures to secure the border, the Texas Legislature included nearly $1 billion in the Texas State Budget for border security.”
It later adds, “DPS works closely with federal and local partners along the border to disrupt border activities and keep Texans safe. It is a long slog, but Texas is slowly winning the fight. In this case, state action is succeeding where the federal government fails.”
State Rep. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, said the article uses some questionable sources and reaches dubious conclusions.
“Since when are government organizations relying on a right-wing organization for research?” he asked.
Conservative claims that the border is a war zone have been a sore subject for many El Pasoans at least since 2010, when then-Gov. Rick Perry twice claimed that car bombs had exploded in the city.
They hadn’t. One actually exploded across the border in Juarez at the height of the cartel war, but a spokeswoman only said the governor “misspoke.”
El Paso has consistently been rated one of the safest large cities in the United States and some experts have said that with federal spending on border enforcement far higher than it was a decade ago, the so-called “immigration crisis” is a myth.
Despite that, the Republican-led Texas Legislature last year appropriated $800 million for border security for 2016 and 2017.
Texas Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, said that instead of protecting Texans, the expenditure was intended to grow DPS and the Texas GOP.
“The growth of DPS in recent years has essentially been a political exercise in agency-building based on the success of ‘border security’ as a means to mobilize primary voters,” Rodriguez, chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said in an email. “No other state agency has received so much funding – nearly one billion dollars – and an expansion of its scope of powers with such little oversight and accountability.”
Blanco said dissemination of the American Enterprise Institute article appears to be a prelude to DPS officials asking for even more when the Legislature convenes in January.
He said its premise – that Texas is succeeding in immigration policy – is at odds with repeated admissions by DPS Director Steve McCraw that the agency has no power to enforce immigration policy.
“At the end of the day, DPS can’t enforce immigration law, so how is Texas a bright spot?” Blanco asked.
For its part, the agency said it is only trying to keep lawmakers informed.
“The article has a homeland security and national security expert recognizing Texas DPS and the Texas Legislature for its efforts in helping our U.S. Border Patrol partners with border security and addressing cartel drug-related criminal activity,” spokesman Tom Vinger said in an email. “We felt that was worth sharing with the members of the Legislature.”
The department, which has surged police to the border, on April 8 sent lawmakers an article titled “America’s immigration system fails, but one state succeeds.” Published by the conservative American Enterprise Institue, the piece details what it calls failures in the U.S. immigration system, including possible corruption of Border Patrol agents and an antiquated visa system.“The only bright spot appears to come out of Texas and the activities by the Texas Department of Public Safety,” the article says. “Given federal failures to secure the border, the Texas Legislature included nearly $1 billion in the Texas State Budget for border security.”
It later adds, “DPS works closely with federal and local partners along the border to disrupt border activities and keep Texans safe. It is a long slog, but Texas is slowly winning the fight. In this case, state action is succeeding where the federal government fails.”
State Rep. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, said the article uses some questionable sources and reaches dubious conclusions.
“Since when are government organizations relying on a right-wing organization for research?” he asked.
Conservative claims that the border is a war zone have been a sore subject for many El Pasoans at least since 2010, when then-Gov. Rick Perry twice claimed that car bombs had exploded in the city.
They hadn’t. One actually exploded across the border in Juarez at the height of the cartel war, but a spokeswoman only said the governor “misspoke.”
El Paso has consistently been rated one of the safest large cities in the United States and some experts have said that with federal spending on border enforcement far higher than it was a decade ago, the so-called “immigration crisis” is a myth.
Despite that, the Republican-led Texas Legislature last year appropriated $800 million for border security for 2016 and 2017.
Texas Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, said that instead of protecting Texans, the expenditure was intended to grow DPS and the Texas GOP.
Blanco said dissemination of the American Enterprise Institute article appears to be a prelude to DPS officials asking for even more when the Legislature convenes in January.
He said its premise – that Texas is succeeding in immigration policy – is at odds with repeated admissions by DPS Director Steve McCraw that the agency has no power to enforce immigration policy.
“At the end of the day, DPS can’t enforce immigration law, so how is Texas a bright spot?” Blanco asked.
For its part, the agency said it is only trying to keep lawmakers informed.
“The article has a homeland security and national security expert recognizing Texas DPS and the Texas Legislature for its efforts in helping our U.S. Border Patrol partners with border security and addressing cartel drug-related criminal activity,” spokesman Tom Vinger said in an email. “We felt that was worth sharing with the members of the Legislature.”
To read rest of the article, click on: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2016/04/17/dems-slam-latest-dps-border-claims/83097642/
6 comments:
Border protection my ass! If giving speeding tickets and harassing Mexican truckers is protecting the border, then they are protecting the hell out of it.
400 million? How many pounds of dope did they seize? I can get them a whole Lotta pounds at wholesale price and they will save a lot of money
The DPS is saturating the Valley to protect The nice parts of Texas from turning into the Valley. If you do not like law enforcement, get your wet ass back across the river. Dangerous Mexican drivers in their shit dangerous trucks should not be using our roads in the first place. That will change soon enough. I am sick of uneducated mexican drivers.
Mexico built a fencc on its border with Guatemala to keep the "Guatos" from entereing Mexico. Why shouldn't Americans have the same security from an invasion of illegals. The Democrats and President Obama have severely reduced our national security by disregarding national military and security leaders and now the liberals of Texas want to disregard advice and concerns of the DPS to do their job.
Oh hell yes, build a wall of steel to keep those Mexicans where they belong, and Mexico will pay for it. How do I know? Trump me dejo!
Haha ! Idiot ! FUCK YOU AND TRUMP! Learn to spell, you simpleton !
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