Heated Immigration Debate in Texas

Immigration is one of the basic fundamentals that the United States was built upon during the early stages of our nation’s existence. Without immigration, we would not have the title that we possess today. Yet, in recent years this topic has become one that is heavily debated due to the influx of illegal aliens.

One state that is constantly and heavily affected by these illegal citizens is Texas. Being right on the line diving the countries, with an extensive border connecting them to Mexico this is one of the highest entry points for undocumented persons to enter the United States. To address this issue, the Texas State Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 4, also known as SB4.

This bill, which they have tried to pass multiple times in the past, expands the powers of law enforcement to effectively monitor citizenship status by allowing police to question anyone detained on their citizenship, and compels local officers to comply with federal requests to detain individuals. The biggest piece of this bill is that it would ban sanctuary cities, even though a federal judge ruled in April that Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional.

Even with massive changes expected to be coming soon, debates still became violent recently when Republican Representative Matt Rinaldi announced to the floor that he called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on those who were protesting the bill.

Since the incident, many videos have gone viral of the altercation. What began as simply a heated debate quickly turned violent. One Texas Democrat has since said that Rinaldi threatened to “put a bullet through one of my colleague’s heads,” whereas Rinaldi said it was the other way around saying that Democrat Poncho Nevárez “threatened my life on the House floor,” and was also assaulted.

Once tempers had finally cooled, both sides were able to recuperate and release statements. The Democrats held a press conference in response to Rinaldi’s “disrespectful” comments and actions. Representative Ramon Romero Jr released a quote that day saying,

“He saw the crowd, and he saw illegals. He saw people that, whether he likes to accept it or not, in his heart, he has hate for those people, and he wants to see them gone. He wants to see them gone so much, to the point that he called ICE.”

On the opposite side of the aisle, Rinaldi attempted to defend his actions saying that he only called ICE because among the protestors he saw signs that read, “I am an illegal immigrant and am here to stay.”

At the end of the day, even with the videos, no one knows who exactly said what, but what we do know is that there are bigger questions that need answers. The first is that of illegal immigration. Yes, those coming into the country illegal are trying to escape persecution and create a better life, but all throughout history there has been a legal way to enter this country and an illegal way to enter this country. People have always been trying to escape persecution to try and find asylum within our borders, but they have consistently done it properly unless granted immunity.

There are reasons as to why we do not simply let people in. We need those who are entering our nations to fulfill all duties of a citizen including paying taxes, not simply living off welfare and voting for those who will allow them to enter this country without paying their dues.

Speaking in the days following Memorial Day, if one is to enter the United States, they must be willing to assimilate into this great culture which has sadly lost many of their children so people can live freely here. It is not for those who want to continue living their life they led elsewhere but have the benefits of our freedom.

Featured Image via Flickr/eschipul