Immigration a no-win issue in District 23
Greg Jefferson
Express-News
Sep 25, 2006
The United States' handling of illegal immigration burns hotter as an issue in places as far from the Rio Grande as, say, Colorado and Pennsylvania than in the campaign unfolding here and along a long stretch of the Texas-Mexico border. Texas Congressional District 23 reaches from San Antonio nearly to El Paso and takes in more than 700 miles of the border. It literally would be one of the starting points for any change in immigration and security policies.
Calls for enhanced border security, and to a lesser extent guest worker programs and "paths to citizenship" for workers and families already here illegally, are cropping up in contests all over the country. In Colorado, Bob Beauprez, Republican candidate for governor, has hit the airwaves with a series of ads calling for a crackdown on illegal immigration. In Pennsylvania, Republican Sen. Rick Santorum also took a get-tough stance and has cut into Democratic challenger Bob Casey Jr.'s lead.
Looking to fire up conservative voters, House Republican leaders are pushing border security as a major issue heading into the November elections, touching on worries about terrorists slipping undetected into the country.
But in District 23, which takes in 20 counties and thousands of people whose lives are directly affected?
"This isn't as polarizing an issue as it is in other parts of the country because, I think, this district has been dealing with this question for a long, long time," said Andy Hernandez, a political scientist and former executive with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. "It's a hot topic, but it's not hot enough that you have to talk about it."
The district's mix of voters — Anglo ranchers in West Texas, heavily Hispanic residents of border towns, Republicans on San Antonio's Northwest Side and Democrats on the South Side — also could make it hard for candidates to offer specifics without losing votes.
U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla's campaign Web site doesn't include a stance on immigration or border security reform. Neither does the site belonging to his best-known challenger, Democrat Ciro Rodriguez, a former four-term congressman and former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Still, not everyone's quiet online. On his Web site, Lukin Gilliland, an Alamo Heights businessman and the best-funded Democrat in the race, calls for giving Border Patrol agents more resources, and notes, "Here's my bottom line on immigration reform: We need to secure our borders and protect our economy. In Washington, they don't understand the realities on the ground here in Texas."
Responding to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, federal judges redrew District 23 last month, paving the way for a Nov. 7 ballot that includes Bonilla, six Democrats and one independent.
"It's a big issue, but it's one of many in my district," Bonilla said. "The area is diverse. There's not one issue that cuts across all counties."
He added: "People judge members of Congress on a whole array of issues."
In West Texas, Bonilla said, agriculture and water issues demand attention. On San Antonio's South Side, the newest part of District 23, the development of Brooks City-Base could be a major topic.
But sitting directly on the border, Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster thinks recent legislation puts the issue of illegal immigration and what to do about it high on the list — at least in his town.
He contends Bonilla did himself no political favors when he voted Sept. 14 for the bill to build fencing and place cameras and sensors along 732 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Foster said the proposed fence would damage the close ties between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras across the Rio Grande.
Two years ago, Bonilla carried Maverick County, where Eagle Pass is the county seat, for the first time since he defeated Democrat Albert Bustamante in 1992 to win the office. But Foster said he probably lost support for the Nov. 7 special election because of his vote.
"It's kind of hard to support someone who wants to build a fence," said Foster, who's also president of the Texas Border Coalition, a group of city and county officials. "I'd say 95 percent of Maverick County agrees with me."
But to Bonilla, the need for a fence is clear.
Sheriffs along the border, he said, are crying out for help stemming illegal border crossings. Bonilla said drug smugglers and human traffickers are threatening the safety of border communities.
Last week, Bonilla co-sponsored a measure that would end an exemption for apprehended Salvadorans, who currently must receive a hearing before deportation.
"The prevalent issue now is border security across the board," Bonilla said. "I'm not going to any of my counties and hearing support for illegal immigration."
Democrat Rick Bolaños of El Paso, meanwhile, wants "to put up the most technologically advanced fence we can."
His prime concern, he said, isn't Mexicans sneaking into the country to work, but terrorists sneaking in to do damage.
Click here for more (mysanantonio.com)
