Speech at Stand With Arizona Rally
The following is a transcript of the speech I gave at the Stand With Arizona Rally:
Buenas tardes, Arizona!
As a young conservative born and raised on the Texas border, I am here to tell you why I stand with Arizona. Doing what is right is not always easy, and like so many of you, I am tired!--tired of a federal government that would rather score cheap political points than do what is right.
Securing our borders and pursuing sensible immigration reform is essential to making our nation stronger. Despite my age, I happen to have a few sensible suggestions on this issue.
First, Arizona must defeat Obama’s frivolous lawsuit! I may not be a lawyer, but I think the opposition might be on to something regarding the Supremacy Clause. Federal law is supreme, therefore Arizona is right to uphold and enforce our laws.
Second, we’ve got to clean House! We need real leadership in Washington: a Congress that understands the issue and is serious about fixing a broken system, a Congress that is not so rigid to liberal fringe ideology and is not afraid to make tough choices.
Third, we must work together, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans! This issue is way too important and complex for anyone to be race-baiting, fear-mongering, or playing politics as those in Washington have been doing for decades. As we have seen this weekend, no single party agrees 100% on one solution, but that is what I have enjoyed about this summit. We have come together to discuss an issue. We have come together in support of the rule of law. We have come together to fix a broken immigration system.
One of the biggest issues that is overlooked in this debate is the human rights abuses and loss of life. Countless numbers of Americans have fallen victim to illegal drug abuse, and countless numbers of immigrants have been taken advantage of. You don’t know how many times I have heard stories of coyotes taking advantage of immigrants. I have lived down the street from a home where 20 immigrants were kept for days in a garage. I am from South Texas, and I can’t stand 10 minutes in my garage and can’t imagine the torture experienced by those who go through those abuses. Border enforcement is the only way to stop violence and prevent immigration-related deaths from happening in the US. Some of those who are against SB 1070 and border enforcement aren’t bothered by these human and drug trafficking-related deaths. It seems that they do not value human life. As a pro-life conservative, I believe all life is precious and is created in God’s own image.
I would like to speak to those who fear that this law and its supporters are racist. There is nothing hateful in wanting all citizens to abide by the same rules, work hard, and contribute to society. The elites in Washington don’t want any of that for immigrants; they want them to become dependant on the government and live in fear. Having lived on the border all my life, I have unfortunately seen this first hand. They lie to minorities, they try to stifle our entrepreneurial spirit, they destroy families, and they shackle decent hard-working people with the chains of government largess. We don’t hate minorities; We just want people to work hard for themselves and their families and respect our laws.
This is what the American way is all about: protecting life and creating an environment in which individuals have opportunities and the freedom to create their own future; but there is a right and a wrong way to do so. Arizona has merely taken the stance that y’all want immigrants to come here legally! Federal immigration law is supreme and we all must abide by it. By enforcing existing laws, securing the border, and finding a sensible solution to our broken immigration system we can ensure that immigrants do not fall into cruel traps that only hinder their advancement. If we do not fix the system soon, then we will likely find ourselves in this same debate for decades.
Arizona did something very simple yet very powerful. Y’all have simply decided to enforce existing immigration laws. There is nothing bigoted about upholding the rule of law. There is nothing unconstitutional about upholding the rule of law, but oddly enough there is something courageous in upholding the rule of law. Had Arizona done nothing, President Obama would still be doing nothing regarding immigration . . . And though he still isn’t doing anything to secure our borders or reform the system, y’all brought this situation to the forefront of our nation’s issues, and the American people support you!
Please remember my future, your children’s future, and your grandchildren’s future, all depend upon this November’s general election. I respectfully ask that you not only stand with Arizona, but that you stand with the future this November as we strive to advance individual freedoms and the rule of law. We have a real chance in November to elect a Congress that will adhere to the US Constitution and will pursue sensible immigration reforms, two things that our nation is in need of.
Gracias por su tiempo. Yo soy Fernando Trevino Jr. Thank you for your time. I am Fernando Trevino Jr., and you can find me at WriteForTheRight.com. W-R-I-T-E for the R-I-G-H-T dot com. And of course, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you!
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