Treviño: I wholeheartedly disagree with the premise that the border region is insecure

1 month ago 83

EDINBURG, Texas – Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., says he wholeheartedly disagrees with the notion that the Texas-Mexico border region is insecure.

Speaking at a “State of the RGV” event hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Treviño urged fellow Valley leaders to push back against the narrative that the border region is a dangerous place to live, work, and play.

Treviño said: “The additional concern – and (Starr County) Judge (Eloy) Vera alluded to it – is that a lot of the discussion we’ve had over the last several years, with regards to the narrative of the border, (is about) the quote, unquote, insecurity that it has.

“First of all, I completely, 100 percent, wholeheartedly disagree with the premise that the border is insecure. I think it’s dishonest, and it’s a slap in the face to the unbelievable job that our federal and state and local law enforcement officials do to protect us and provide us a quality of life and safety that all of us have here.

“We are as safe as any other part, if not safer, than any other part of the country. Now, if you’re going to have a discussion about the fact that our immigration system is woefully behind and has not been updated, then I agree 110% with you. But those are two different, similar, related, but different issues.”

Treviño said if the federal government wants to improve border security it should help improve cross-border trade.

“The attention on the quote, unquote, militarization, or aspect of it, lacks the attention on the easiest thing to help, which is our cross-border trade. If our ports of entry are bringing over trade and taking it into Mexico and bringing over products on both sides, that enhances our border security, that enhances the economic well-being of our state, of our country, and, obviously, our neighbor to the south, Mexico,” Treviño said.

“So, the lack of discussion or attention being placed on the positive impact that cross-border trade will have, is something that we as a local, regional leadership, need to take control of. To take control over that narrative and not let the rest of the country think that we live in the wild, wild west. And how on earth do you all survive down there, you know, with guns a-blazing and migrants crossing over by the thousands, and caravans.”

Treviño said that the population of the United States getting older on average, the need to add migrants to the workforce will become increasingly apparent.

“By the way, this country isn’t getting any younger. We need an ample labor pool. Those migrants are coming over to do the jobs that most people in this country do not want to do, and certainly not at the wages that they’re getting paid.”

There was applause from the audience when Treviño said this.

“There’s got to be a happy medium, again a middle of the road, logical, rational thinking that can address these issues on a bipartisan basis, so that the entire country can benefit. We need to update our immigration system, which hasn’t been done since 1986 and we need to do it in a way so that our economy continues to thrive and allows these individuals the opportunity and the basis to preserve and provide a better and quality of life for themselves, for their family and their community, whether it’s here on the border or here in Texas, or any other part of our 50 states.”

Editor’s Note: The other panelists were Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, and Willacy County Commissioner Ernie Garcia. Here, below, is a video recording of the four county leaders discussing their legislative agendas. The moderator was Julian Alvarez of Lone Star National Bank.