West Texas Talks Immigration

Everyone is talking about immigration these days. It’s always been a hot topic, but it's gotten national attention since Arizona passed its own law earlier this year. While the federal government is suing the state, President Obama is hoping to get bipartisan support to pass a federal law to protect Americans. But, Texas could soon be following in Arizona’s footsteps. State Representative Debbie Riddle will be reintroducing a similar immigration bill in November.

Silvia Albarado opposes the new immigration law recently passed in Arizona. She’s lived in Texas 11 years, but would move to another state, if Texas puts a similar law in place.

"I'm against this law because I can get stopped too. I'm a U.S. Citizen and I don't think its right because of my color, and my race, I'm going to be stopped and asked for papers," she said.

Richard Kiekbusch, an associate professor of criminology at UTPB doesn’t believe the law is discriminatory.  He said many of the people that are against the law have never even read it. Kiekbusch said if people read the law it would clarify misconceptions.  

"Once he has them stop for something else, if he has reasonable suspicion that they are not legal citizens of the United States he is to the extent reasonable look into it,” he said.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency wouldn’t release the statistics of how many illegal immigrants they arrest in the Basin. But they said it’s a daily occurrence

Dr. Joanna Hadjicostandi studies international immigration. She fears that the law brings Arizona back to segregation; like it was before the civil rights movement

"It’s a violation of human rights and human dignity,” she said.

But Alma Thomas doesn’t believe it violates the rights of Americans.

"I think we need stricter laws and I think they need to be enforced because it’s not just Hispanics coming across, its drugs, its terrorists," said Thomas.

Check out State Representative Debbie Riddle’s web site for information on the Texas immigration law: http://debbieriddle.org/2010/04/texas-trespass-bill-to-make-illegals-presence-state-crime/

For information on Arizona’s immigration law go here: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf