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Immigration on the High Plains
Texas legislators expect immigration proposals
(sound of cattle truck)
Mark Haslett: Many of the workers at Swift are foreign-born. A federal immigration raid in 2006 changed the town. Father Juan Antonio Abaledejo was one of the priests working in Cactus at the time. He says that many undocumented workers fled after the raids- most of those who left were from Mexico and Central America.
Fr. Abaledejo: Those who, whose lives were more deeply changed were the people from Guatemala. We had a large community of people from Guatemala right here in Cactus. The Guatemalan community practically disappeared from Cactus.
Mark Haslett: Since the raid, Latin American workers have been replaced by refugees from places like Burma and Somalia. Texas State Representative David Swinford lives in Dumas, just a few miles from Cactus. He says that the new workers have helped Swift fill vacant jobs.
David Swinford: They, these refugees, most of them are political refugess and if they stayed over there, they (were) gonna get get killed. So they're pretty darn happy to be in America. And they don't mind the work and they work hard.
Mark Haslett: Meanwhile, the federal government's efforts to fix the immigration system are moving slowly. Some state governments have tried to pick up the slack. The Texas legislature meets every other year and did not convene in 2008. Back in 2007, Swinford chaired the House affairs committee. He and others reviewed some immigration-related proposals, but did not pursue the passage of proposals that seemed unlikely to pass the test of constitutionality.
David Swinford: If they were unconstitutional, we just didn't consider them because if we passed those bills, the Attorney General, by his position, has to support whatever we pass even though he knows its unconstitutional. And all that would do would be spend a whole lot of money with lawyers and not stop one person from crossing the border.
So, what we decided to do was take some of the money that we would lose if we passed something like that and put it on the border. Put boots on the ground, put helicopters in the air, because the federal government failed to do what they're supposed to do.
Mark Haslett: This past year saw a number of states- most notably Oklahoma and Arizona- pass laws intended to discourage illegal immigration. Many wonder if the Texas legislature will follow those examples in 2009. State Senator Kel Seliger represents the district that includes Cactus and Dumas. He's certain that immigration will return to the forefront when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
Kel Seliger: I have been told that a gentleman, the State Representative from Tyler who introduced probably more than anyone else in the last session is going to introuduce either same stuff or some more stuff in the next session.
Mark Haslett: Seliger was referring to Leo Berman of Tyler, who sponsored a number of bills in 0-7. Seliger and Swinford, both Republicans, are both favored to win re-election in November. Seliger will face a challenge from Libertarian Lauren Poindexter. Swinford will square off against Libertarian L. Blake Bailey. The Democratic Party is not running a candidate for either seat. And while lawmakers in Austin look to the border, back in Cactus, Swift is still hiring. I spoke with Dumas resident Imelda Moldonado at a local diner. She works for United Food and Commercial Workers, the union for the Cactus facility. Maldonado says that the company has had a hard time keeping fully staffed since the raid.
Imelda Moldanado: Well, before they brought in the refugees, they started bringing a lot of U.S. citizens. And, ah- they're not there. They, um- I'm not saying that everybody that tried isn't there, but it's just like if you need a job that bad, you're gonna do it and we just didn't have that many takers.
Mark Haslett: This is Mark Haslett, High Plains Public Radio News. © Copyright 2012, hppr
(2008-09-17)
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AMARILLO, TEXAS
(hppr) -
Mark Haslett: Cactus, Texas, is a company town. The J-B-S Swift meatpacking facility dominates the little community. Throughout the day and night, big cattle trucks arrive from the feedlots.
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(sound of cattle truck)
Mark Haslett: Many of the workers at Swift are foreign-born. A federal immigration raid in 2006 changed the town. Father Juan Antonio Abaledejo was one of the priests working in Cactus at the time. He says that many undocumented workers fled after the raids- most of those who left were from Mexico and Central America.
Fr. Abaledejo: Those who, whose lives were more deeply changed were the people from Guatemala. We had a large community of people from Guatemala right here in Cactus. The Guatemalan community practically disappeared from Cactus.
Mark Haslett: Since the raid, Latin American workers have been replaced by refugees from places like Burma and Somalia. Texas State Representative David Swinford lives in Dumas, just a few miles from Cactus. He says that the new workers have helped Swift fill vacant jobs.
David Swinford: They, these refugees, most of them are political refugess and if they stayed over there, they (were) gonna get get killed. So they're pretty darn happy to be in America. And they don't mind the work and they work hard.
Mark Haslett: Meanwhile, the federal government's efforts to fix the immigration system are moving slowly. Some state governments have tried to pick up the slack. The Texas legislature meets every other year and did not convene in 2008. Back in 2007, Swinford chaired the House affairs committee. He and others reviewed some immigration-related proposals, but did not pursue the passage of proposals that seemed unlikely to pass the test of constitutionality.
David Swinford: If they were unconstitutional, we just didn't consider them because if we passed those bills, the Attorney General, by his position, has to support whatever we pass even though he knows its unconstitutional. And all that would do would be spend a whole lot of money with lawyers and not stop one person from crossing the border.
So, what we decided to do was take some of the money that we would lose if we passed something like that and put it on the border. Put boots on the ground, put helicopters in the air, because the federal government failed to do what they're supposed to do.
Mark Haslett: This past year saw a number of states- most notably Oklahoma and Arizona- pass laws intended to discourage illegal immigration. Many wonder if the Texas legislature will follow those examples in 2009. State Senator Kel Seliger represents the district that includes Cactus and Dumas. He's certain that immigration will return to the forefront when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
Kel Seliger: I have been told that a gentleman, the State Representative from Tyler who introduced probably more than anyone else in the last session is going to introuduce either same stuff or some more stuff in the next session.
Mark Haslett: Seliger was referring to Leo Berman of Tyler, who sponsored a number of bills in 0-7. Seliger and Swinford, both Republicans, are both favored to win re-election in November. Seliger will face a challenge from Libertarian Lauren Poindexter. Swinford will square off against Libertarian L. Blake Bailey. The Democratic Party is not running a candidate for either seat. And while lawmakers in Austin look to the border, back in Cactus, Swift is still hiring. I spoke with Dumas resident Imelda Moldonado at a local diner. She works for United Food and Commercial Workers, the union for the Cactus facility. Maldonado says that the company has had a hard time keeping fully staffed since the raid.
Imelda Moldanado: Well, before they brought in the refugees, they started bringing a lot of U.S. citizens. And, ah- they're not there. They, um- I'm not saying that everybody that tried isn't there, but it's just like if you need a job that bad, you're gonna do it and we just didn't have that many takers.
Mark Haslett: This is Mark Haslett, High Plains Public Radio News. © Copyright 2012, hppr
