BOR: - Pete Gallego

Pete Gallego's Remarks at Immigration Panel

Michael Hurta — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Yesterday evening, Congressman Pete Gallego hosted an immigration panel in San Antonio.

In Gallego's opening remarks, he spoke of the modern American Dream. In his speech, he told the story of Josue Obregon, a Retired United States Marine Corporal:

This is a story from Del Rio, Texas. Retired United States Marine Corporal Josue Obregon filed a petition for his wife Estéfania who still lived in Ciudad Acuña. The young couple was expecting their first child- when she suffered from an internal cyst which would require a blood transfusion.
She could not get the appropriate medical treatment in Mexico. And even though Mrs. Obregon had been approved for a spousal visa, it was still "being processed."
She would not be allowed to come to the United States to get the treatment she and her unborn child needed without an emergency visa.

Read the rest of the Obregons' story and Congressman Gallego's speech below the fold.

Thank all of you for coming today. I'm Pete Gallego, and I have the privilege of representing the people of the 23rd District in the US Congress. America is made up of many stories. I'd like to talk briefly about several of them; to underscore why immigration reform is so important to me and to the country.
I believe everyone in this country can write the next great chapter in the amazing American story.
The 23rd congressional district - runs 800 miles along the U.S./Mexico border. No other district in the country shares a larger border with our neighbors to the South. And, the 23rd congressional district is full of great American stories.
There was a young boy born in the small village of San Carlos, Mexico, with no electricity or running water. His parents were seasonal workers. He would make the trip with his parents when they would come to the US to work.
One year, when his parents made the trip and as he was growing older, his parents stayed long enough that he could start school.
He faced hardships. The New York Times chronicled the bus ride he was on as the longest bus ride in the nation. It was over 100 miles to school one-way.
And he was good at school. Even as a child, he knew that education was the only way to break out of the cycle of poverty.
When it came time for his family to return home, he refused. For a time, he lived on his own & fished in the Rio Grande for his food. He slept alone under the stars and made his way to the school bus every morning.
One day, tragedy struck. A fishing hook became embedded in this boy' finger. It got infected. He needed medical attention.
He wandered into the nearby town of Terlingua. There, a local businessman noticed the young man - and he noticed the fish hook protruding from his finger.
The businessman learned that this little boy lived on his own. He took the young boy in so he could have a real roof over his head while he continued his studies.
After high school, he wanted to give back to the country he had come to love. He joined the United States Navy. He earned numerous awards. He became a citizen. He served in the Navy for eight years, left to start college and found a job in the Texas Capitol.
From the new man on the totem pole, he worked his way up to become chief of staff to a member of the Texas House.
How do I know all of this? Because the young man in question was my chief of staff.
Today he's graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and awaiting the results of the Texas Bar Exam.
That's the power of the American dream. That is a great American story.
But it wouldn't have been possible if somewhere along the way, this young man hadn't been able to adjust his status.
There are many stories just like his. We saw some of those stories in the video today. The stories of parents who moved to find work - to give a better life to their children. The stories of kids just like my friend, who have grown up here their entire lives, been dedicated to their studies, have gone to college but are in limbo. Even though they got some help through the President's deferred action program, they are in fear that at any second - they could lose their status and be yanked from this country.
This auditorium is full of folks with great American stories - many with immigrant ties.
Congressman Castro's grandmother came to this country as an orphan from Mexico. Representative Rafael Anchia here in the audience, is the son of Mexican and Spanish immigrants who came to this country in pursuit of the American dream. The mother and grandmother of Representative Poncho Nevarez, from Eagle Pass, also here in the audience came to this country from Mexico in the 50s to work. All of these folks have great American stories.
There are folks who say people should always "wait their turn." To these constituents, the current system meant a bureaucracy that could literally hold the power of life and death. Here's what could happen when an immigration system isn't based on reality.
This is a story from Del Rio, Texas. Retired United States Marine Corporal Josue Obregon filed a petition for his wife Estéfania who still lived in Ciudad Acuña. The young couple was expecting their first child- when she suffered from an internal cyst which would require a blood transfusion.
She could not get the appropriate medical treatment in Mexico. And even though Mrs. Obregon had been approved for a spousal visa, it was still "being processed."
She would not be allowed to come to the United States to get the treatment she and her unborn child needed without an emergency visa.
Even as the spouse of a retired Marine, whose spousal visa had already been approved for the future, her emergency visa was denied. Finally, my office stepped in, and Mrs. Obregon was able to get to the hospital in Del Rio and give birth to a beautiful baby boy. And now this baby boy will be able to write his own great American story. But this was not due to the current immigration system, which would potentially have allowed both mother and son to die due to inadequate medical care while "waiting in line" for a visa that had already been approved.
Here is the message for all of you. Immigration reform is coming - but it's not because some people in Washington have had a change of heart. They haven't. They've had a change of mind.
Seventy one percent of Latinos - due partly to what they considered to be hostility on immigration - voted for a Democratic President. Most people who run for office understand demographics. They understand that unless they want to become politically irrelevant - it's time to move forward on immigration reform.
If you want your friends, your neighbors, the kids in schools, to have a shot at writing the next great American story, you need to participate in our democracy. Vote. There are folks here right outside who are registering voters. If you're eligible and haven't already done so, please do so. Get others to the polls as well. Tell elected officials that you support reform and that the time is now
.
At some point, I hope our elected officials will be willing to help people like Benjamin- the student in the video, or Sra. Canizales- the mother who courageously shared her story, finish their own chapters in the American story.
The time has come to craft a solution.
My paternal grandfather worked cattle and founded a small restaurant, my maternal grandfather built fences across the hardscrabble landscape of West Texas. Today I have the privilege of representing the 23rd district in congress. That is my American story.
In this nation, our values teach us that families should stick together and that hard work, not circumstances, should shape our future. Our nation becomes stronger as more people pledge allegiance to our flag and can commit fully to this nation and our economy. Immigrants have made this country great. Many of these immigrants will be writing the next great chapter in this American story.
With that, I have the honor of introducing Congressman Luis Gutierrez from the state of Illinois, who has been THE point person on immigration reform in the U.S. Congress.
Es un placer tener el privilegio de presentarles a Luis Gutierrez.

Congressman Pete Gallego Participating In Immigration Panel Monday in San Antonio

Katherine Haenschen — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:51:14 GMT

Congressman Pete Gallego has already distinguished himself in the immigration debate, owing to his unique status representing Texas's 23rd District, which contains the longest stretch of the Mexican-American border of any congressional district.

Monday, Gallego will join Congressman Luis Gutierrez (IL-04), Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller, Texas Farm Bureau's Steve Pringle, and United We Dream's Carolina Canizalez for a panel discussion in San Antonio. The panel is free and open to the public, and will focus on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, including industry perspectives and Texas economic benefits.

The panel will be from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto College Performing Arts Center, 1400 W. Villaret Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78224.

Whatever immigration reform legislation manages to pass both houses of Congress will likely have a tremendous impact on Texas, so it's great to see such a diverse coalition of leaders in our state proactively addressing what's at stake and framing it for Texas audiences.

Rep. Gallego Speaks Out For Immigrants In Armed Services

Joe Deshotel — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:30:00 GMT

When President Obama gave his 2nd inaugural speech announcing Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a top priority it became an opportunity for Texas Democrats to stand up and take a leadership role.

Congressman Pete Gallego (D-Alpine), whose district has the longest stretch of U.S. - Mexico border at 800 miles, accepted that challenge. Today Rep. Gallego spoke on the House floor in support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform -- especially with regards to those serving in the armed forces. He wants to ensure the citizens of his district, which contains 5 ports of entry as well as 3 major military bases, are allowed to determine their own fate through "hard work", and not "circumstance". The Senate's so called "Gang of Eight" has released details of their version of the plan on Tuesday.

Watch the Congressman's speech on the floor and click the jump for the full transcript...

I rise today encouraged that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is moving now that the framework has been released by our colleagues in the Senate.
The 23rd Congressional district of Texas, which I represent, runs 800 miles along the border and includes 5 ports of entry. No other congressional district shares a larger border with Mexico.
After more than two decades, I’m encouraged that we our friends in the Senate are taking steps and finally have a framework to a common sense immigration process.
I look forward to working with in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to get it done this year.
Our values teach us that families should stick together and that hard work, not circumstance should shape our future. I believe that our nation becomes stronger as more people pledge allegiance to our flag and can commit fully to this nation and our economy.
Last week, I asked the Senate Gang of Eight to give special consideration to members of the armed forces who risk their lives for our country and families. This is particularly important to folks and families in Joint Base Lackland in San Antonio, Laughin in Del Rio, and Fort Bliss in El Paso.
I requested that Comprehensive Immigration Reform include the following:
1) eliminate the three and ten year bar for spouses,
2) prevent the termination of petitions of spouses and children of fallen heroes,
3) and streamline the naturalization process for those deployed overseas.
The immigration process should ensure special consideration for these men and women who are patriotic in their hearts and fight for our country and our freedom.
I look forward to working with my colleague to getting it done this year. Immigration reform is right, and the time is right now.

Pete Gallego, Making Sense, Slams a Proposal from Senator Cornyn and Mike McCaul

Nick Hudson — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:16:27 GMT

As a bipartisan group of eight senators prepares to release a painstakingly-crafted bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill they think can needle its way through the political and procedural gauntlet in Washington, it seems that Texas' senior Senator John Cornyn and Republican Rep. Michael McCaul have been busy brainstorming ways to ensure that a comprehensive immigration plan doesn't get off the ground.

On a conference call this week, Cornyn and McCaul indicated that certain (totally unrealistic) border security metrics would have to be met before they would contemplate a broader effort that includes a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants who are currently living in the United States. They filed a bill, the Border Security Results Act, that they say would help the United States government achieve those metrics (I won't get into those metrics here).

Congressman Pete Gallego (TX-23), whose district shares the largest border with Mexico in the United States, slammed Cornyn and McCaul for their proposal:

"With about 800 miles of Texas-Mexico border in the district, I know the border impacts every part of our state. I'm hopeful that this bill is a good faith effort to move forward and not an attempt to build another wall between immigrants and the American dream.
"Voters made it clear in November that Congress must act on real immigration reform now - and not a sham packaged as progress. Small businesses, chambers, and families across our state are counting on it.
"Reducing border wait times is something for which businesses and border lawmakers have long advocated. I'm glad our senior senator is now onboard. He can do much to allocate the resources to make reduced wait times possible."

Congressman Gallego's statement is right on target. It's too early to be drawing lines in the sand on immigration reform.

Gallego: Medicaid Expansion Good for San Antonio

Michael Hurta — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:00:00 GMT

One of Rick Perry's staunchest positions this Legislative Session is his stance against Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Not every Republican is as firm on that position as he is, though, so it is up to Democrats to convince people otherwise. In today's op-ed, Congressman Pete Gallego (D-23) explains why Medicaid Expansion is good for his constituents in San Antonio.

Texas is a land of many firsts. Unfortunately, our great state also has the distinction of being first in the percentage of uninsured residents in the country.
More than 6 million Texans - including 1.2 million children - are uninsured. One in four residents in Bexar County does not have health insurance. These are our friends and our neighbors.
Expanding Medicaid in Texas under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would save taxpayers and local governments millions of dollars in costs of caring for uninsured.
Some projections show that Bexar County alone could save an estimated $53 million per year through the Medicaid expansion. If Texas participated in the expansion, our state could draw down almost $90 billion from the Medicaid expansion in the ACA over the first decade.
We could also help people. More than 1.5 million additional Texans - and 161,000 Bexar County residents would gain access to health care under the Medicaid expansion. And more than three million jobs would be generated according to a report generated by the Perryman Group.
The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, hospitals across our state including Christus Santa Rosa, and a majority of Texans are in favor of Medicaid expansion.
Governors in 25 states, both Democratic and Republican, indicated that they will implement the Medicaid expansion.
Opting out of the Medicaid expansion doesn't save taxpayer money - opting out actually costs local taxpayers. There is no reason that Texans' hard-earned tax dollars should instead go to insure residents and bolster the economies of other states.
Expanding Medicaid would greatly benefit many safety net hospitals - such as Christus Santa Rosa here in San Antonio - that serve a significant number of uninsured and low-income patients. Hospitals will be higher reimbursed for the costs of treating the uninsured if Texas opts to expand Medicaid.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, failure to expand Medicaid in Texas will cost the state's hospitals nearly $25 billion in reimbursements between 2013 and 2022.
County jails in some circumstances also serve as the number one health care provider to individuals with mental illness - a costly task for which they are not equipped. The Medicaid expansion would relieve county jails of this burden - freeing their capacity to focus on individuals who have committed serious crimes.
It does not seem particularly efficient to force local governments and Texas taxpayers to bear the brunt of covering the uninsured. In fact, it seems contrary to good public policy.
Looking objectively at the numbers, Texas has a dismal record on health care. It is a record of which no Texan can be proud.
We can work to turn that record around. Texans would greatly be served by expanding Medicaid. The expansion would benefit not only our residents, but also our local and county governments and our economy.
Instead of rejecting the return of Texans' tax dollars to Texas, Gov. Rick Perry should make it his mission to obtain more health care for our residents while bringing more jobs to Texas, lowering the burden for our taxpayers and relieving the budgets of local and county governments.
Medicaid expansion is the right thing to do. It is both compassionate and efficient - and that is the Texas way.
Let's hope our governor agrees.

Texas Lunch Links: Payday Loans, Death Threats and High-Stakes Testing

Nick Hudson — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:59:40 GMT

We do our best, but we can't cover everything. To fill in the gaps, please enjoy Texas Lunch Links, a lunchtime buffet of links to Texas-related news and views.

PAYDAY LOANS: Rev. Gerald Green, Jr. of Dallas-based CitySquare proposes four specific changes to Republican State Senator John Carona's, "dramatically weakened payday lending bill."

GALLEGO CHALLENGED: San Antonio Express News is reporting that Representative Pete Gallego, the Democrat who was elected to Texas' 23rd congressional district in November, has an early Republican challenger for 2014.

EDUCATION: The Texas House voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to reduce the required number of high school end-of-course exams from 15 to five and to change high school graduation plans to emphasize career and vocational training.

GUNS: Texas would require its residents to acquire concealed handgun licences in Texas under a bill authored by State Senator Juan Hinojosa, Democrat of McAllen. Texas currently recognizes other states' handgun licenses.

RICK PERRY: Governor Goodhair called the Obama administration's decision to award a competitively bid grant directly to a Texas coalition of women's clinics, instead of Texas' Department of State Health Services, "a clear attempt to circumvent the will of the Texas taxpayers and impose their own values on the people of Texas." The coalition of clinics will serve more than 160,000 women.

WELFARE DRUG-TESTING: Texas' Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved a bill that would strip welfare recipients of benefits for one year if they fail a drug test this week.

EAGLE FORD SHALE: South Texas' Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas drilling operation had an estimated $61 billion impact on South Texas last year, according to an ongoing University of Texas at San Antonio study released at the Capitol on Tuesday. The study is being paid for by America's Natural Gas Alliance.

WHITMIRE SAFE: A prison investigator says that a death threat against Texas Senator John Whitmire from the Mexican Mafia was an unusual scam by a confidential informant. The death threat, which the Houston Chronicle reported yesterday, was the bright idea of confidential informant who hoped that recruiting and then reporting the conspirators would earn him cash or a reduced prison sentence.

FLASHBACK ON DOMA: Not a single Texas Democrat voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

Friday Wrap: Perry Boo'ed at CPAC, Cruz's Selective Understanding, and a Fainting Couch

Burnt Orange Report — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:44:16 GMT

If it's Friday, it's time for the Weekly Wrap, when your Burnt Orange Reporters comment on all of the news that fits in a blockquote.

Leading off, Congressman Pete Gallego LiveTweeted President Barack Obama's meeting with Congressional Democrats yesterday. It's worth a read:

President Obama just walked into D Caucus mtg. No song. No presidential seal. Just wandered in escorted by D leadership. Seems comfortable.
— Pete Gallego (@petegallego) March 14, 2013

Below the jump, find out who got boo'ed, who has a selective understanding of the 2nd Amendment, who came out for marriage equality, and who made our editor look for some pearls to clutch and a couch to faint on.

The news out of Rick Perry's appearance this week at CPAC? Almost no one on earth wants him to run for president again.
--Ben Sherman

Someone making the minimum wage in Texas has to work 92 hours per week in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent in order to avoid paying more than 30 percent of their income in rent, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. For most parts of Texas, that would be a rent of about $700 - 800.
--Emily Cadik

More from Rick Perry at CPAC this week:
"Now, the popular media narrative -- is that this country has shifted away from conservative ideals, as evidenced by the last two presidential elections. That is what they say. That might be true if Republicans had actually nominated conservative candidates in 2008 and 2012. That might be true. But now we are told our party must shift appeal to the growing Hispanic demographic."

At "growing Hispanic demographic" Perry was greeted with an instant smattering of boos. But the crowd came around as he went on to suggest that an economic message, not immigration, was what was needed to win over Hispanic voters.
--Karl-Thomas Musselman

Today Senator Rob Portman of Ohio added his name to the short list of Republican elected officials willing to "come out" for marriage equality. The policy reversal comes 2 years after his own son told him that he was gay. He stated, "as we strive as a nation to form a more perfect union, I believe all of our sons and daughters ought to have the same opportunity to experience the joy and stability of marriage."
--Joe Deshotel

Close readers of this blog know that we don't have a particularly favorable opinion of Michael Cargill, the CHL instructor who used a bid for constable as a way to promote his gun training business. During the 2012 Travis County Democratic primary -- in which Cargill challenged and lost to incumbent Constable Adan Ballesteros -- a pro-Ron Paul SuperPAC spent a sizable chunk of change on direct mail in support of the professional gun enthusiast, mail that called on "Domocrats" to support Cargill and was sent to voters outside of the district.
Yesterday in a House committee hearing on the controversial "Guns on Campus" bill to allow concealed carry in campus buildings, the former NRA and Texas Rifle Association lobbyist -- that would be Cargill -- announced that he was switching to the Republican Party.
Well give me some pearls to clutch and a couch to faint on, because I am just stunned -- stunned!. Stunned. Hang on, let me reach over and pick my jaw up off the floor. Someone get the smelling salts. Wow. I couldn't have seen this one coming if I was personally in charge of the Hubble Telescope.
--Katherine Haenschen

Ted Cruz loves to lecture folks on the constitution, but after this week in a debate over gun control we know he has quite a selective understanding. The Junior Senator from Texas asked the Senior Senator from California if she would consider curtailing the 1st Amendment like she is doing the 2nd. Aside from the fact that the 2nd Amendment contains the phrase "well-regulated", Cruz has apparently never tried to exercise his 1st Amendment right by yelling "bomb" on an airplane. That's right, there are in fact limits to our constitutional freedoms - all of them.
--Joe Deshotel

Rep. Gallego: Single Biggest Threat to Border Security Is Sequestration

Joe Deshotel — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:18:51 GMT

For weeks Congressional Republicans, including Texas' own Senator John Cornyn criticized the President's comprehensive immigration reform proposal because they thought border security should be the top priority. On Tuesday Rep. Pete Gallego who represents the longest stretch of Texas-Mexico in Congress made it clear that the single biggest threat to border security is actually sequestration. In his first floor speech he admonished Congress for its finger pointing on the issue and challenged members to work together to solve the nation's problems.

"In small town West Texas when there's a fire everyone works together to put the fire out and no one focuses on how the fire started or who started the fire until after the fire is out. Here and now in Washington many folks are more focused on who is to blame for the sequester than trying to do something about it." - Rep. Gallego

The Congressman characterized the across the board cuts as having both economic and national security implications, saying, "Not having a vote this week is a decision by some in Congress for decreased border security, job loss and furloughs, and it devastates local communities and the state of Texas." His district contains a number of strategic military bases including Ft. Bliss in El Paso and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio that could face furloughs in the tens of thousands.

His office also released this handy infographic of the impact of sequestration on the US-Mexico border. You can follow him on twitter at @RepPeteGallego and see his house floor speech below the jump.

Texas Border Already Blue: Immigration Reform Gives Democrats National Platform

Joe Deshotel — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:41:43 GMT

Texas may not yet be blue but our border certainly is. In the state House, Texas Democrats represent the entirety of the Texas-Mexico border, while freshman Congressman Pete Gallego's 23rd district represents 800 of the 1,954 total miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Congressman appeared on MSNBC's Jansing & Co. to talk about the fate of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in this session of Congress.

I think immigration reform gets done this session of Congress. From the perspective of both parties it is time...I think the Republicans saw with what happened with the latino electorate last and time and in places like Texas thats a really significant thing. -Congressman Gallego

Obama won the 2012 election with over 70% of the Hispanic vote, and announcing Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a top 2nd term priority during the State of the Union has left Republicans both nationally and in Texas struggling to find a viable position on the issue.

Most people don't really care where the idea comes from, I think they want action, they want something to happen, they're tired of the prolonged conversations. -Congresman Gallego

Thats true even in Texas, according to a poll...
According to a poll released by the Texas Tribune in 2012 the top two issues for Texans were "Immigration" and "Border Security", yet top state Republicans have shied away from addressing them so far this session. Maybe for now congressional Republicans should follow their lead because according the poll Texans understand the difference between the two. Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told the Texas Tribune that Republicans' problem was that they have, "reduce[d] the entire issue to bumper sticker phrases such as 'No Amnesty' or 'Build a Fence'." If he is onto something he may want to Cc his Congressional party mates who continue to attack the President for focusing his immigration policy on a path to citizenship instead of shutting down the border. Congressman Gallego referred to El Paso as being one of the safest cities in America and said though some positive local economic activity comes to border towns when we increase our presence there, many residents were "a little tired of tying immigration to border security".

Just last week State Representatives Rafael Anchia and Ana Hernandez Luna filed a House Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to immediately pass comprehensive immigration reform. They cited a new poll that shows strong bipartisan support, at 71%, for immigration reform that included a path to citizenship. "I applaud the President's leadership on this issue and agree that it is time for Congress to pass major immigration legislation," said Rep. Anchia. The resolution incorporates statements from some traditionally conservative sources; Texas Federation of Republican Women, as well as findings by the Texas Comptroller and the Libertarian Cato Institute.

Rep. Hernandez Luna struck an inclusive tone, but Republicans have yet to embrace the invitation. "I am proud to offer this resolution with Rep. Anchia in support of practical, realistic and bi-partisan immigration reform. I look forward to garnering widespread support from our colleagues in the Texas House so that we may send a clear message to Washington on this issue. "

Its clear at some individual levels Democrats have begun to create a narrative on an issue where they have both the public's support and a weak opposition. With a little good fortune the increased profile of Democrats can emigrate to other issues like education, healthcare and energy policy.

You can see Congressman Gallego on MSNBC here

Pete Gallego VICTORY!

Ben Sherman — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:19:36 GMT

It was a great night for Democrats. They kept the White House, increased their majority in the Senate, and progressive ballot measures won across the country.

Even Texas Democrats have an in-state reason to rejoice. Pete Gallego defeated incumbent Republican Quico Canseco and is headed to Congress!

Huzzah!