SAN ANTONIO (BORDER REPORT) — San Antonio Republicans said at a bilateral environmental conference this week that security on the Texas-Mexico border needs to be improved before economic development occurs in the border region.
In contrast to many speakers at the U.S.-Mexico Border Environment Forum XXVI in San Antonio this week, Texas Rep. He said the border “crisis” cannot be ignored.
Gonzalez described himself as “fine” Thursday morning and said he wanted to stir things up.
“Without security, there is no prosperity and no opportunity,” Gonzalez said Thursday. “What is happening at the border right now is not normal and should not be happening.”
So far this year, migrant encounters at the Southwest border have already surpassed all encounters in fiscal 2021, with 2,002,604 migrant encounters since October 1, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. increase.
“Without security, there is no economic development or cultural spread,” Gonzalez told Border Report after a panel discussion. “What happened in Juarez a few weeks ago was part of the mayhem that shut everything down, and what we saw in Tijuana and other parts of the border shows that security is fundamental to everything. But it shouldn’t be everything.”
Gonzalez represents Texas’ 23rd congressional district, which stretches from San Antonio to the border and west to parts of El Paso.
Gonzalez said that in order to secure the border and develop strategies to strengthen development and bilateral projects, the public should be made aware of the cultural similarities and ties shared by both sides of the border. said to be important.
“You have to understand the security part, but you also have to understand the economic part, and the cultural ties. I will use El Paso and Juarez as examples. It’s one city divided into parts, one in Mexico,” he said.
On Friday, Gonzalez said he is hosting a delegation of Republican congressional candidates from across the country and will be showcasing the border areas of western El Paso County and Fort Hancock area, Texas. They will also be briefed on border technology and US security measures.
At a conference this week hosted by the North American Development Bank, a number of officials, including ambassadors from both the United States and Mexico, discussed the bilateral river park project being developed on the border of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Advertised safety benefits. , says it will clean up the area, protect the environment and promote border security.
Gonzalez said he supports bilateral river projects and hopes to start something similar in his district, which spans more than 800 miles and 40 percent of the Texas-Mexico border.
“These bilateral projects are exciting because it’s not just words, it’s action,” Gonzalez said. “It shows promise that can happen.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at Ssanchez@borderreport.com.
