Mayor Saenz addresses Trump’s national declaration of emergency on the border

LAREDO, Texas — Mayor Pete Saenz has released the following statement in response to President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the southern border:

“Today’s declaration of a national emergency by the President is deeply harmful to border communities. Despite some reoccurring  issues that are common in border communities, their degree of occurrence does not rise to the level of a national emergency at the border. Empirical data clearly indicates that Laredo and other border communities are proven to be safer than most U.S. cities further inland.

“We are extremely proud of the men and women in CBP and U.S. Border Patrol who protect our country from foreign threats, and we welcome funding and resources to improve border security. But a physical wall in our area is not the answer to illegal immigration or drug trafficking. The real solution to these problems don’t have an easy fix. It requires a multi layered approach. Congress needs to come together and pass meaningful comprehensive immigration reform, and provide more resources for federal agents who monitor and protect our ports of entry, and in between them, and it requires a revision of our current policies to better address the war on drugs.

“The President and Congress must work these issues out but not at the expense of American families who live on the border. We shouldn’t have to give up our land, parks, shared spaces, urban landscapes, or our way of life for a physical wall that the majority of Americans are against. As chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, I know that our border community leaders are against this overreach by the federal government. We have been doing everything we can to make our concerns known to Washington, including providing compromising ideas and proposals for a “virtual wall” that would incorporate the use of more technology, boots on the ground, roads for accessing the river, and clearing river vegetation. We have even proposed a “bulkhead,” a retaining structure that is more aesthetically pleasing. We live here and we want border security more than anyone else. We should have a say in matters that affect us.”

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