RPT 2012 Immigration Platform: The Texas Solution

See Also: Republican Party of Texas Adopts a Platform Including Guest Worker Program for Immigrants

A Texas Solution for a Texas problem has been passed by the Republican Party of Texas Platform Committee and will be voted on the floor in front of the full committee later today. The current 2012 draft is the work of a week of meetings with the subcommittees and the full committee. For the first time in memory, a coalition was formed between members of groups such as the Minutemen and IRCOT (NOTE: see letter from IRCOT below) and those seeking a legal status. All sides agreed that a temporary worker program is the only workable solution. The plank was passed unanimous out of the subcommittee and was passed unanimously by the full committee.

However, the platform still needs to pass the full convention, and there is still a lot of opposition and misinformation out there. One opposition group is claiming that crucial points were cut out of the immigration plank on the platform. However, as several subcommittee members pointed out, many of the provisions that were removed from the immigration plank are included in other planks in the platform. For example:


Preserving American Freedom- Page #3
Driver Licenses - We propose that every Texas driver license shall indicate whether the driver is a U.S. citizen. No such license shall be issued to anyone not legally in the country.

Law Enforcement -

  • We support limitation of criminal jurisdiction of federal law-enforcement agencies into state and local jurisdictions and encourage them to enforce the laws under federal jurisdiction. 
  • The states have the right to protect their citizens if the federal government fails to enforce their applicable laws.

Census - We oppose the Census Bureau’s obtaining data beyond the number of people residing in a dwelling, and we oppose statistical sampling adjustments. We support the actual counting of people and oppose any type of estimation or manipulation of Census data. Only U.S. citizens should be counted for the purpose of adjusting legislative districts.

Preserving American Freedom- Page #4
Real ID Act - As the Real ID Act effectively creates an unconstitutional and privacy-inhibiting national ID card, we hereby call for its immediate repeal.

Restoring Integrity to Our Elections – Page #5.
Voter Registration - We support restoring integrity to the voter registration rolls and reducing voter fraud. We support repeal of all Motor Voter laws; re-registering voters every four years; requiring photo ID of all registrants; proof of residency and citizenship, along with voter registration application; retention of the 30-day registration deadline; and requiring that a list of certified deaths be provided to the election administrator in order that the names of deceased voters be removed from the list of registered voters.

Voting Rights - We support equal suffrage for all U.S. Citizens of voting age who are not felons. We oppose any identification of citizens by race, origin, or creed and oppose use of any such identification for purposes of creating voting districts.

Fair Election Procedures - We support modifications and strengthening of election laws to ensure ballot integrity and fair elections. We strongly urge the Texas attorney general to litigate the previously passed voter ID legislation. We support increased scrutiny and security in balloting by mail; prohibition of internet voting and any electronic voting lacking a verifiable paper trail; prohibition of mobile voting; prosecution for election fraud with jail sentences; repeal of the unconstitutional “Help America Vote Act”; and assurance that each polling place has a distinctly marked and if possible separate location for Republican and Democratic primary voting.

Honoring the Symbols of Our American Heritage – Page #6.
American English - We support adoption of American English as the official language of Texas and of the United States.

Celebrating Traditional Marriage – Page #7.
Human Trafficking ― The Republican Party of Texas adamantly opposes any form of human trafficking.

Strengthening Families Protecting Life and Promoting Health – Page #10.
ASSISTING FAMILIES TO SELF SUFFICIENCY
Welfare Reform ― Welfare should offer a hand up to transition families and individuals through hard times and welfare reform should encourage partnerships with faith based institutions, community and business organizations to assist individuals in need. The current system encourages dependency on government and robs individuals and generations of healthy motivation and self-respect. It should be limited in scope. We encourage welfare reform in the following areas:
1. Denying benefits to individuals who cannot prove citizenship;
2. Welfare reforms should require recipients to work, learn, and train;
3. Reforms should require recipients to remain substance abuse free in exchange for temporary benefits not exceeding two years.
4. Recipients should be required to submit to random drug testing in order to receive benefits;
5. Welfare cards should be confined to food and vital essentials, not cigarettes, lottery purchases, or alcohol or drugs of any kind;
6. Prisoners should be removed from welfare rolls; and
7. A nominal co-pay should be required to encourage judicious utilization of health care services.

Educating Our Children – Page 11.
Bilingual Education – We encourage non-English speaking students to transition to English within three years.

College Tuition – We recommend three levels of college tuition: In-state requiring proof of Texas legal citizenship, out-of-state requiring proof of US citizenship, and nonresident legal alien. Non-US citizens should not be eligible for state or federal grants, or loans.

Educational Entitlement [page 12] – We encourage legislation that prohibits enrollment in free public schools of non-citizens unlawfully present in the United States.

Foreign Culture Charter Schools in Texas [page 13] – We oppose public funding of charter schools which receive money from foreign entities. We demand that these Charter Schools have accountability and transparency to local parents, taxpayers, the State of Texas, as do current public schools, including U.S. citizenship of principals.

Promoting Individual Freedom and Safety – Page 14.
State Militia – We support the establishment and maintenance of a volunteer Constitutional State Militia with assistance from County Sheriffs.

Electronic Privacy – We believe all law-abiding citizens should be free from government surveillance of their electronic communications except in cases directly involving national security, by court order. Except for non-citizens, we further oppose any national ID program, including the Real ID Act and the use of Radio Frequency Identification Chips (RFID) on humans.

Business and Economy - Page 19.
American Jobs – We support a favorable business climate of low taxes and deregulation to encourage capital investment, ensuring retention and creation of American jobs.


The 2012 language provides a solution that will show that Texas can lead the way on an issue that has divided the country for far too long. Not only that, we can cut the Democrats off at the pass and lead the nation.

IMMIGRATION

The Texas Solution – Because of decades-long failure of the federal government to secure our borders and address the immigration issue, there are now upwards of 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States today, each of whom entered and remain here under different circumstances. Mass deportation of these individuals would neither be equitable nor practical; while blanket amnesty, as occurred with the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986, would only encourage future violations of the law. We seek common ground to develop and advance a conservative, market- and law-based approach to our nation’s immigration issues by following these principles:

  1. Secure Our Borders – The U.S. Border must be secured immediately! We demand the application of effective, practical and reasonable measures to secure our borders and to bring safety and security for all Americans along the border and throughout the nation.
  2. Modernize the United States Social Security Card – We support the improvement of our 1936 Social Security card to use contemporary anti-counterfeit technology. The social security card will not be considered a National ID card for U.S. citizens.
  3. Birthright Citizenship – We call on the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States to clarify Section 1 of the 14th amendment to limit citizenship by birth to those born to a citizen of the United States with no exceptions.
  4. Create an Effective and Efficient Temporary Worker Program – A national Temporary Worker Program should be implemented to bring skilled and unskilled workers into the United States for temporary periods of time when no U.S. workers are currently available. The program should also require: 
  • Self-funding through participation fees and fines;
  • Applicants must pass a full criminal background check;
  • Applicants with prior immigration violations would only qualify for the program if they paid the appropriate fines;
  • Applicants and/or Employers must prove that they can afford and/or secure private health insurance;
  • Applicants must waive any and all rights to apply for financial assistance from any public entitlement programs;
  • Applicant must show a proficiency in the English language and complete an American civic class; 
  • Temporary Workers would only be able to work for employers that deduct and match payroll taxes; 
  • All participants would be issued an individual Temporary-Worker Biometric Identification Card that tracks all address changes and both civil and criminal court appearances as a defendant.
Issues: 

Comments

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REAL ID has got to go. Democrats, Independents, and most Republicans oppose it because it is a costly failure that has failed to prevent any terror plots. It has harmed far more citizens than it could ever help.

Americans have defeated 7 amnesties now the GOP is going against the will of the people? Thought you wanted us to vote for Romney...and you do this? Don't spit in my face & tell me it's raining!

Dear Sir/Madam,

The following erroneous statement was posted on your website Texas GOPVote.com inferring that the Platform Committee received IRCOT’s approval of the new 2012 plank to the just approved GOP platform regarding a temporary worker program.

This is an incorrect statement… “For the first time in memory, a coalition was formed between members of groups such as the Minutemen and IRCOT, and those seeking a legal status.”

No individual acting in an official capacity for IRCOT approved such language, nor would they have done so if they had been part of the process. Neither the Board, nor the Executive Director of IRCOT was contacted by Texas GOP Vote. The IRCOT Board and its Executive Director unanimously disapprove of the guest worker plank.

It is hereby requested that Texas GOP Vote print a retraction to the statement referenced above as well as remove the inference to IRCOT from the article…RPT 2012 Immigration Platform: The Texas Solution.

This retraction should be included on the 2012 Texas Republican Party State Convention section of Texas GOP Vote website and any and all electronic and printed materials by all parties involved, including the Republican Party of Texas. This should also include Facebook, twitter and any other social media.
We thank you in advance of your making this retraction in a timely manner to all resources that the statement referenced above may appear.

Respectfully,

Maria Martinez
Executive Director
Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas (IRCOT)
5535 Memorial Dr.
Houston, TX 77007

Dear Ms. Martinez,

We appreciate your taking the time to acknowledge the historical significance of this platform.  TexasGOPVote has reviewed your request for a retraction.  However, the statement you quoted is accurate and stands by itself with no correction needed.

Members of Minutemen groups and IRCOT did indeed testify before the Immigration Subcommittee of the RPT Platform Committee.  They came into the room opposed to what they thought was trying to be accomplished.  However, they LISTENED.  They communicated their concerns.  They engaged in dialogue and helped build this historic platform.  It is amazing what progress can be made when people will listen with an open mind.

For those reading this that do not know, IRCOT stands for "Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas".  It is interesting to note that even though their name includes the words "Immigration Reform" they seem to be very opposed to anything resembling actual immigration reform.

Perhaps if we listen to the words of IRCOT co-founder, Rebecca Forest on the steps of the Texas Capitol during the last legislative session we can gain some insight as to why that is.  The audio is slightly garbled because of wind noise, but the transcript of her comments read: "If you want to know why we can't pass legislation in Texas it's because we have 37, no 36, Hispanics in the Legislature. All of the states that have passed legislation have a handful and I mean literally, some of them have NO Hispanic legislators, well, maybe 3 or 5 or something. So that's, umm, part of our problem and we need to change those numbers..." 

You can also look at the liberal organizations IRCOT claims as National Partners.  FAIR and NumbersUSA's board members include supporters of Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club and other radical pro-choice and environmentalist groups.  They support radical environmentalist beliefs of zero population growth, pro-abortion positions and zero immigration.  It is then very easy to see why IRCOT is so opposed to the first two letters of their name.

Since Ms. Martinez brought this up, perhaps this is a very good time for all of you to look into these organizations.  Most Texas Republicans are strong in their committment to Pro-Life principles and organizations.  It is time to stop crawling into bed with organizations who are using the money you contribute to them to fund organizations that are opposed to the very core of your beliefs.

Ms. Martinez, no retraction is necessary as the article is 100% accurate in the statement you quoted.  We urge you to follow the lead of your members who participated in this process. Sit down at the table and express your concerns and listen to real solutions. 

Ms. Canyon,  what part of "this isn't amnesty" do you not understand?

There are those in the D party that do not want to fix the problem because they want an underclass of D voters. There are those in the R party that want an underclass of cheap labor. There are those that are easily deceived that want to build an expensive futile wall between the US and Mexico. There are those that recognize that an amnesty AGAIN without controls is a waste of resources. There are those that are open to a REAL solution. A properly constructed guest worker program PRECEDED by better border security (and preferrably accompanied by legalization of marijuana) will go a long way towards solving our problem. Many hispanics are reasonable and supportive of a fair and equitable solution. Are you?

 

There is a big difference in one being a member of an organization and being authorized to speak on behalf of the organization.  It would be interesting to clarify just how the members of IRCOT and Minuteman identified themselves in the testimony, and how they inferred they had the authority to speak for the respective organizations. 

  

saying it isn't amnesty is similar to someone sitting in a dog house making barking sounds, it doesn't make that person an actual dog, it's an inverse proposition here, saying it 'ain't' amnesty over and over, does not in actuality mean that it isn't - it most certainly IS.

when i think of dishonesty and destruction of the American middle class,  i think of globalists, rinos, and chamber of commerce types.  from the original 1965 Immigration Act that opened the floodgates to every amnsrty since ( there have been eight) that has been gamed and riddled with fraud , much like most of our current worker visa programs that are still bringing in over 125,000 green card workers EACH MONTH!!

If any of us dare speak out against the massive wave of immigration we are smeared by the anti-American chamber of commerce types  as racist,bigots,nativists,xenophobes and anti immigrants. We are not being shot on sight per se, but we are being forced to pay for our own dispossession, and we have the media and traitorous politicians to thank for it...traitors like the establishment rino republicans that keep Texas an open border state, with the real end goal of importing more 'consumers' ( since the rino republicans have been so frenzied over the past 30 years to ship manufacturing jobs overseas), the only thing left to power the economy are 'consumers' and the chamber of commerce types will sell their souls in order to sell more 'things' ( insurance policies for instance ), and to do that they need to explode our population with new illegal alien 'consumers.'  follow the money.

TexasGOPVote
 

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