Majority of Texans Want All Undocumented Residents Deported States "Texas Tribune" CEO

"A recent poll indicates that 59% of Texans want all undocumented residents deported," opened moderator Evan Smith, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Tribune, at a panel discussion and lunch held at UTB/TSC's Gran Salon Friday.

The panel included Mayor Ruben Villarreal of Rio Grande City, State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., State Representative Eddie Lucio III and Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera of UTB.  

State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., Associate
Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera,
Mayor Ruben Villarreal
of Rio Grande City

As expected, the conference was chock full of sound bites, agreement that something should be done, but no consensus on how to proceed to deal with an estimated 5,000,000 undocumented residents in the U.S.

State Senator Lucio deftly side-stepped Smith's question as to whether he agreed with the majority of Texas voters that want all undocumented residents deported by saying that a "broken immigration system needs to be fixed first" and that "all of Texas needs to listen to us as well, those of us who live on the border."

Mayor Ruben Villarreal of Rio Grande City did not allow the moderator to link his views to those of Texas Governor Greg Abbott:  "No, I don't think exactly like Abbott, but I do agree that, as a rule of law, Congress should be writing the law on immigration.  That's what Abbott's suit against the President's Executive Order is all about."

No one questioned Villarreal about keeping his cowboy hat on during the panel discussion and lunch.

The Cowboy Hat Guide~Everything About the Cowboy Hat published these rules:



Some standard, base-line points of etiquette:

1. Any time you enter a building, the hat should come off.

2. If it is an informal occasion you may put it back on but for a formal occasion it should stay off.

3. When sitting down at a table for a meal, the hat should come off unless there is nowhere to safely lay the hat.

4. When sitting down at a counter for a meal, the hat can stay on.

5. Out on the range however, keep your hat on while you eat. If you take your hat off, another wrangler might step on it or spill food into the rim.

Representative Eddie Lucio III
with Conference Attendees

State Representative Eddie Lucio III agreed with Villarreal that thrust of Abbott's lawsuit was "procedural," not dealing with actual immigration issues.  The representative does not view deporting 6% of the workforce as economically viable, has seen students from the valley offered scholarships at "prestigious schools all around the country," but unable to "cross the checkpoint."

Conversely, Lucio III does not find it fair that non-citizen residents pay state tuition, while out-of-state citizens pay triple.  He wants out-of-state tuition abolished.

There was some discussion about the decision of former Governor Rick Perry to place National Guard troops on the border.  While Mayor Villarreal found the troops increased a feeling of safety for his constituents, Professor Correa-Cabrera stated that "border cities are already more secure than other cities around the country."

Mayor Villarreal added:  "We should be offering a front door entrance to the land of milk and honey, not a back door one."

Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., as is frequently his custom, elicited a spiritual tone:  "We need compassion. Love thy neighbor.  These residents pledge allegiance to the flag of this country every day just as we do.  Most of these people come here as refugees seeking a better life.  We can't turn our back on them.  We must do the right thing, the Christian thing."