Survey of Texans in Congress finds little support for full border wall

[octoberlib]

None of the 38 Texans in Congress offered a full-throated endorsement of a complete border wall, a position popular with President-elect Donald Trump's supporters, a Texas Tribune delegation-wide survey found.


BY ABBY LIVINGSTON DEC. 20, 2016 12:01 AM


WASHINGTON — Few, if any, Texans in Congress support building a wall across the entire U.S./Mexico border, according to a Texas Tribune delegation-wide survey.

None of the 38-member Texas delegation offered full-throated support of a complete border wall, a position popular with President-elect Donald Trump's supporters that would impact Texas more than it would any other state.

Among many Texas Republicans in Congress, the concept, while popular with the party's base, collides with another conservative tenant: eminent domain.

A wall would require the confiscation of ranching land near the Rio Grande, and several Texas Republicans expressed concern about the federal government taking away property — often held by families for generations — and the legal tangles that would inevitably arise from that.
https://www.texastribune.org/2016/12/20/where-texas-congressional-delegation-stands-trumps/

[muntrv]

1. I presume many farm laborers and ranch hands in Texas are from Mexico, correct?

[octoberlib]

2. I'm guessing yes. I'm also making a guess that Trump himself has hired undocumented

Mexicans to work in his hotels.

[trc]

4. Yes

And construction workers, roofers, domestic workers...All hired in this right to work state to keep wages low... good for bidness

[Paladin]

3. The wall was never going to happen. Just another trump lie. (nt)

[alarimer]

5. For one thing, a wall already exists

In places on the Texas border and it was massively unpopular when Bush put it up. In many cases, it divides private property. It also hasn't done much other than drive people out into the desert, where they die of exposure in the hundreds (although fewer these days because not as many are coming).

Also, the border is a different area. If you haven't lived near one, you might not understand, but families often have members on both sides, legally. You also have cases where people live in Mexico because it's cheaper, but work in the US, or work in Mexico and live in the US, in most cases this is legitimate. There is a history of people traveling across the border for commerce, for prescription drugs in Mexico or dental work there, both of which are much cheaper.

[octoberlib]

6. I live in a city that has suburbs in another state, so I totally get it.

[Texasgal]

7. South Texas is almost like a different country.

Lot's of culture and ways of living down there.

The "wall" is a dumb idea as it won't stop people from coming. Texas's economy relies heavily on immigrants. This will not go over well it Trump gets his wish.

Not only that but our evil governor Gregg Abbot has been very critical about putting up this oppressive "wall" in the west Texas area where Big Bend is located. It is a beautiful natural area that would be destroyed.

[Wounded Bear]

8. I'm pretty sure most people in border states don't want it...

There already is a wall/fence where it is meaningful and "useful." Building more would be a stupid boondoggle that would present many difficulties, especially for local wildlife, who can't see the line on the map and need to cross it to find food.

[UTUSN]

9. Plus, Border economy NAFTA is popular and has a reason. (Think'bout it, don't lash out)

[Wounded Bear]

10. Yeah, but at those border crossings with a lot of commerce going across both ways...

there already are fences and walls that direct people through the authorized gates. Most people are just fine with that, it's what the Border Patrol is supposed to be doing, or at least that is a major part of their jobs. Building major fences/walls 300 miles out in the desert is kind of pointless.

[UTUSN]

11. Yeah, our (yours & mine) is: BOrder peeps Dems) don't want wall &DO want NAFTA

the latter of which northern Dems don't like because don't live there & don't get that different economics fron their own. Everybody feels their own pain.