As storm clouds gather in D.C. over a looming budget battle for Border Wall funding, Laredo activists are mobilizing quickly for a Dec. 7 Silent Sit-In on the riverbanks against the construction of the wall.
According to Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Río Grande International Study Center (RGISC) — speaking on behalf of a growing coalition of riverfront landowners, ranchers, and others concerned with the environmental and cultural impacts of the proposed wall — “We are inviting all Laredoans to participate in the Silent Sit-In — families, students, educators, clergy and their congregations, members of civic and veterans organizations, business owners, City and County employees, members of non-profit organzations, youth clubs, and Nuevo Laredoans from all walks of life. We welcome everyone who has a stake in this community and this river.”
Tres Laredos Park, which is just below Bridge I and across from the Outlet Mall parking lots, is the site for the event, which is hosted by RGISC, the City of Laredo, the Sisters of Mercy, the Webb County Heritage Foundation, and Earthjustice, among others.
“Laredo is quickly becoming ground zero in this fast-moving Border Wall issue at a national level: from the Feb. 15 national emergency declaration to the upcoming federal budget that Congress must pass,” Cortez said, adding, “This isn’t about Democrat vs. Republican. It’s about the future of Laredo, the taking of public lands and seizure of private lands and ranches. And it’s about the suspension of more than 40 federal laws to build the wall, the suspension of public input, and the bypassing of environmental studies to ensure our safety, water quality, and the river ecosystem as the government rushes to construct this politically motivated wall. This issue is also about the future of the Río Grande, which ranks as one of the world’s most endangered rivers.”
Cortez cited CBP statistics that show that Laredo accounts for only 8% of illegal apprehensions among the nine sectors along the entire southern border. “Meanwhile, the FBI Uniform Crime report documents that Laredo has one of the lowest homicide rates and crime rates across the country,” she continued, noting data shows Laredo’s robust and dominant role in international trade.
“Laredo is the Number One trade port in the United States — the $230 billion in goods that move annually through the city touch every community across the country. We do not live in a war zone. We are not in crisis. There is no national emergency here, and yet, the federal government wants to seize 125 miles of river frontage to build a destructive and ineffective wall that won’t solve the problems of immigration, asylum seekers, or American drug consumption. We believe that there are more effective ways to secure our border,” Cortez said.
Matachines, indigenous drummers, leaders of different faiths, several speakers, and a lengthy moment of silence are on the program for the Sit-In.
For further information and to advise RGISC of organizations that will be part of the Silent Sit-In, call (956) 718-1063.
