FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2024
Media Contact: info@txilc.org
President Biden touts bipartisan border deal in State of the Union Address
Immigration law experts in Texas react to the president’s address
Austin, TX – On Thursday, United States President Joe Biden gave his third State of the Union address since taking office. During his speech, the president doubled down on the bipartisan border agreement that failed to pass in Congress due largely to politically motivated pushback from former President Donald Trump. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus also opposed the deal on important policy concerns.
The speech came one week after President Biden’s trip to Brownsville, Texas, to meet with local leaders, Border Patrol agents, and local law enforcement as pressure mounts to take action on immigration reform. Through increasingly transparent political theater, the border has been made the state ground zero for a toxic, unproductive national discourse on the border. The border discourse last discourse does not reflect the reality or the desires of Texas’s vibrant border communities, where people are simply trying to operate a business, go to work, raise their kids, and build a life amid the fearmongering and theatrics.
“We share President Biden’s desire for bipartisan change and comprehensive immigration reform,” said Kristin Etter, Director of Policy & Legal Services at the Texas Immigration Law Council. “As immigration law experts and practitioners who will be forced to navigate whatever changes President Biden and Congress enact to this already cumbersome system, we implore the administration to move beyond punitive enforcement-only measures like the bipartisan deal Biden touted in his address. True comprehensive reform that speeds up processing times, eliminates visa backlogs, and creates meaningful options outside of the asylum process for migrant workers is possible–and it can be done in a way that does not criminalize migrants, maintains public safety, and addresses crucial workforce gaps in our state and national economies.”
“While Texas faces national scrutiny for its bombastic stunts and bloated border spending, every day there are landowners and ranchers in border communities whose land gets taken over by Texas officials without their permission and without recourse. There are businesses big and small with severe workforce shortages watching Governor Abbott bus eager and eligible workers off to other states to fill their job openings. There are entire economies that depend on the nearly $999 billion of trade the United States does with Mexico each year–not the least of which is Texas itself, with $471 billion in annual gross product and over 3.6 million jobs dependent on that diplomatic relationship. We urge President Biden to listen to everyday Texans who need thoughtful, comprehensive federal solutions to this economic and humanitarian emergency.”
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The Texas Immigration Law Council is a statewide nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization formed in 2023 to promote and protect the rights of immigrants and refugees of all nationalities in Texas. The Council promotes meaningful access to justice for immigrants and refugees by serving as a statewide immigrant legal resource center. The Council brings together constituencies across the political spectrum to advance constructive dialogue on immigrant solutions for Texas.
