January 22, 2007

In Washington (DC) January 17, eight border mayors representing communities from El Paso to Brownsville (TX), including Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, met with House and Senate leaders to deliver the message that building a wall in their communities will not enhance security, but will jeopardize trade, economic development and border relations. The meetings were arranged by Texas Senators John Cornyn, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Representative Henry Cuellar. In addition to Salinas, the delegation included mayors Trevino (Brownsville), Valdez (Del Rio), Cook (El Paso), Cortez (McAllen), Hiles (Rio Grande City) and Foster (Eagle Pass).

The mayors met with leaders of both parties of the capitol and the Administration, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff, new House Intelligence Committee Chair Sylvester Reyes (TX), and House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Price (NC). Price was joined by Texas Congressman Ciro Rodriquez, a newly appointed member of the Appropriations Committee. The mayors also met for a two-hour session with Hutchison and Cornyn.

Salinas reminded each of these homeland security experts that having dedicated his life to law enforcement, he took a backseat to no one on the issue of security. Still, the message of the meetings was that the US needed to be building bridges of friendship, not a wall that separated communities, jeopardized trade and created hard feelings with our southern neighbors, as no such fence proposal was being considered for the northern border. Drawing on his experience as a former capitol police officer, and with wind chill factors in the 20s, Salinas clearly enjoyed leading his fellow elected South Texas colleagues through the labyrinth of basement walkways in the capitol to avoid walking outside.