Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Rep. Pete Gallego

AUSTIN - Having to counter a number of anti-immigrant bills on the House floor these past few days, members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus are asking if House leaders have designated this week Bash the Border Week.

"The theory up front was that many of these bills were not going to come up for a vote," said MALC Chairman Pete Gallego, D-Alpine.

"But now, many of the Republican members are saying they have to have something they can take home to their folks; that they have to have something for their primaries. So, essentially, it is Bash the Border Week."

Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, secretary of MALC and chair of the group's immigration task force, had another description.

"It seems like this week is Focus on the Mexicans Week. It just seems that every day that goes by we are looking at more and more bills that hurt Hispanics and minorities," Gonzales said.

Among the bills MALC has had to fight a rearguard action on are HB 218, authored by Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, which requires more identification from voters when they show up at a polling place; HB 1196, authored by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, which prevents companies from accessing Texas Enterprise Fund money if they hire undocumented workers; and HB 1274, authored by Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Dallas, which would require all commercial drivers to prove their prowess at English.

Still to come to the House floor are HB 13, authored by Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, which would stop cities and police departments from leaving day labor sites alone, and a number of bills that would prevent undocumented students from being able to go to college at in-state tuition rates.

Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, D-Palmview, used humor to make his point when Jackson's HB 1274 was heard on the House floor Tuesday. The bill would require DPS to test the level of English proficiency when commercial drivers get their license.

Flores, a MALC member, asked Speaker Tom Craddick in Spanish if Jackson would yield for a question. "Me da chansa para que este joven haga una pregunta?" Flores asked. Jackson was flummoxed. Craddick suggested Flores might have to ask somebody else.

Jackson had cited the case of Juan Robles Gutierrez, the undocumented driver of a bus that burst into flames and caused the death of 23 elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees outside of Dallas in September 2005. Flores pointed out that the driver helped save a number of lives that day.

Flores proceeded to hold up a bunch of cards with pictures of road signs. He asked if Jackson could tell him what they meant. Flores told Jackson what the last sign said. "It says, you got a bad bill and you've got to get it off the floor."

Rep. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, then forced the bill off the floor though a procedural point of order.

Gonzales said Jackson's bill could just as easily hurt a lot of Anglo drivers. She also pointed out that some of the supporters of Jackson's bill have also been critical of English emersion legislation this session.

"On the one hand they criticize people for not speaking English, and then, when we try to implement a program that would help them to learn the language we are criticized for that as well because no one wants to spend money on it," Gonzales said. "We are hoping Jackson's bill does not come back."

Gonzales said it was worth remembering that on a visit to the Rio Grande Valley before the session started, Craddick said he did not want to see anti-immigrant bills or legislation that caused racial polarization to come to the House floor.

"I don't know if it is pressure from the Republican members that wants these bills heard," Gonzales said.

"Unfortunately, too many bills are going down party lines and the Democrats are outnumbered. But members who do not live on the border are not impacted by this legislation like we are. Their economy, probably, does not rely on the workers as much as ours does."

Gonzales said it was time House members paid attention to the demographic changes occurring in Texas.

"We are a changing state. The minority populations are increasing and we have to deal with practicalities and not with discrimination and xenophobia," she said.

"I would hate for us to leave this session on the note of an anti-immigrant and an anti-minority note. It sets a bad tone for our state and it says we are going backwards not forward."

Gallego said Brown's Voter ID bill was particularly bad because it would make it more difficult for people to vote. He said there was no evidence of large scale voter impersonation at polling places.

"The complaints I hear on border area are really related to the mail-in ballot system we use. But this bill does not impact the mail-in ballots at all. It addresses an imaginary problem that doesn't really exist," Gallego said.

Gallego said he hoped the people of Texas were paying attention to what was happening on the House floor.

"It's been an interesting week. We are hearing the kind of bills the majority needs to get passed their voters. The rest of us have to bear the brunt of that," Gallego said.

"But, the more people pay attention, the more Texas is changing, the more demographics will force a change. I think you will see less and less of that as the system comes in to balance."