Operation Lone Star has led to a troubling escalation in the criminalization of Latinos, particularly American citizens of Mexican origin residing in towns along the U.S.-Mexico border, coupled with the racially laden anti-Latino immigrant messaging, creating divisiveness and marginalization.
The state has for decades failed to provide affordable coverage opportunities or expand Medicaid to uninsured adults—the health and financial costs to Latino families continue to be disproportionately harmful. Over 3 million Latinos are uninsured, cutting across all areas of employment and occupations. Texas’ purported economic miracle is an absurdity for Latino families.
Texas consistently performs poorly in redistricting research compared to other states. Partisan gerrymandering is not the only mechanism that negatively impacts Latino voters – racial gerrymandering and vote dilution serve as other forms of political marginalization. By Guadalupe Cantu, MPA and Stacy Hernandez, MGPS
The open borders and immigrant invasion rhetoric is a myth permeated with hate. Open immigration borders have not existed since 1920. National and Texas’s racist immigration history against Mexican Americans and Mexicans is undeniable.
Latinos must remove the current Texas political power structure for most Latino families to realize social, cultural, and economic prosperity. Texas’ poor performance in national ranking among ten major human capital investment areas has a significant effect on marginalizing, politically and socio-economically, generations of Latinos. Unless the underlying political beliefs that enable inequitable policymaking and policies are changed, Latino improvements will be inadequately slow.
Amnesty, with a human rights and cost-effective foundation, can end decades of immigrant injustice and lead to realistic immigration policy. The open borders and immigrant invasion rhetoric is a myth permeated with hate. Open immigration borders have not existed since 1920. National and Texas’s racist immigration history against Mexican Americans and Mexicans is undeniable.
NO to red-baiting private school vouchers, bigoted immigration, and anti-COVID-19 vaccination policy priorities. YES, to public school funding, teacher pay, and Medicaid Expansion.
Population, employment growth, and U.S./Mexico border business opportunities require increasing equitable capital investments in South Texas, which has a long history of policy neglect.
By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., and Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D. • IDRA Newsletter • June – July 2023
Texas lawmakers began the legislative session with expert advice in hand from several state plans to strengthen public education by expanding student learning, addressing the teacher shortage, and improving bilingual education. Instead, lawmakers spent hours in hearings and legislating on red-meat issues, including further classroom censorship. Expert recommendations from major state plans, including the Teacher Vacancy Task Force and Emergent Bilingual Strategic Plan fell by the wayside.
Latino and Black families are being regulated to a generational and permanent underclass population status. The history of Texas’ minimalist approach to policymaking has perpetuated limited human capital investments, and unequal opportunities to achieve family bienestar1 (well- being) – real middle-class equivalency.
