By: Swinford, Berman, Jackson, Creighton, H.C.R. No. 193

et al.

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Rio Grande provides the national boundary between the United States of America and the Estados Unidos Mexicanos and serves as the shared water source of historic international communities from El Paso to Brownsville, demonstrating our common culture and shared mutual dependency throughout our history; and

WHEREAS, A porous Texas-Mexico border constitutes a significant threat to the safety and security of all Texans, and until the border is secure, the citizens of Texas will be vulnerable to organized crime, violent gangs, and international terrorists; and

WHEREAS, While this border should be a line of defense against those who pose threats to our countries, it must also continue to sustain the vast amount of legitimate traffic, now topping $45 billion annually, that contributes to our national economies and our regional marketplace; and

WHEREAS, Supported by former military commandos and international gangs, powerful and ruthless Mexican criminal organizations engage in kidnapping, torture, and murder to support their drug trafficking and human smuggling operations along the border; and

WHEREAS, While these activities affect every community in Texas, residents on both sides of the border are victimized by the criminal organizations that terrorize the entire region; and

WHEREAS, A vulnerable border also allows international terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda to smuggle operatives into the United States undetected; in a recent one-year period, 234 illegal aliens from countries with a known al Qaeda presence were apprehended along the Texas-Mexico border; and

WHEREAS, These captures are particularly alarming given that Texas is a uniquely desirable target for terrorism with the state's heavily populated urban areas, critical infrastructure and key resources, and nationally significant agricultural, financial, and petrochemical industries; and

WHEREAS, While border security operations must defend against threats to our state and nation, they must also preserve the legitimate trade that richly contributes to our state and national economies, and it is fitting that these dual efforts toward security and commerce receive the state's full support; and

WHEREAS, Although protecting the sovereignty of the Texas-Mexico border is a federal responsibility, the federal government has been unwilling and unable to implement needed border security measures; such inaction leaves Texans unprotected from terrorist and criminal organizations that seek to cause harm to the residents of the state; and

WHEREAS, The importance of a secure border to economic growth and the quality of life in Texas has prompted the state to initiate border security operations to significantly reduce terrorist threats and violent crime in the region, and it is fitting that these efforts receive the state's full support; and

WHEREAS, Any decision to create barriers on the border should take into account the gracious and genteel qualities that characterize local border communities; moreover, such construction, particularly through the application of eminent domain, must also take into account the pride and privilege of land ownership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby declare that the current threat to public safety along the Texas-Mexico border requires decisive action to protect all residents of the state and preserve the vibrant culture of the border; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the legislature express support for ongoing state-led border security operations to control the Texas-Mexico border and ensure the safety of the people of Texas.