Is Texas going to let immigrants take priority over US citizens?

No complaints for that help

I didn’t hear one Republican griping about President Donald Trump’s $1.9 trillion tax cut bill, which benefited the wealthy and corporations, back in 2017. Most of those benefits went to the top 1%.

Yet, every Republican is complaining about the $1.9 trillion relief bill that helps average citizens and small businesses.

Not one Republican voted for this bill. Do you see the contradiction here? 

- Edward Lindsay, Fort Worth

Will they cut in line here?

I’m as compassionate as anyone else, but when some of our own citizens are struggling to keep themselves and their families healthy, fed, clothed and housed, why are we taking in children whose parents willingly sent them over our border illegally? The parents will no doubt arrive later for us to take care of as well. 

Will these immigrants be ahead of U.S. citizens for medical care and COVID-19 vaccines? Let’s take care of taxpaying citizens first.

- Rosemary Schuman, Fort Worth

Dreamers would pay their way

When Bill Clinton was president, he developed a plan to address the young people brought to the country illegally who came to be called Dreamers. Republicans in Congress rejected the plan.

Later, President George W. Bush developed almost the same plan, and Democrats rejected it. President Barack Obama submitted the same plan, but Republicans shot it down.

It is time for members of Congress to adopt a plan for Dreamers to become citizens. Many have college degrees, and most have good jobs and pay income tax and other taxes.

There would not be a cost to allowing them to become citizens. 

- Harold L. Smith, Arlington

Improve conditions in Central America

The big story that Gov. Greg Abbott forgets about the border issue is recent natural disasters. (March 18, 1A, “Abbott blasts Biden in Dallas as center readies to host migrant teens”) Like Louisiana, Central America was hit with back-to-back major hurricanes that devastated farms and businesses. Those countries do not have the equivalent of a Small Business Administration providing grants and loans to businesses, so people are starving.

We need to provide aid to Central America. President Joe Biden is doing the best he can and is doing it the humanitarian way, not the cruel way. 

- Fred Gregory, Arlington

Faces of human trafficking

Leonard Pitts Jr.’s Sunday column missed the mark on the Atlanta shootings. (C4, “His ‘bad day’ turns awful”) Racial discrimination is often the headline, but in this case, one must ask how and why Asian women are lured into the types of businesses where the tragedy occurred. We seem to ignore the role of race in human trafficking and how our attitudes enable it.

- Ken Sapp, Granbury

A way to get out the vote

Republicans have so far written more than 250 bills that could become state laws to restrict the ways minorities and mainly Democratic communities vote. The 2020 election was found to be the most secure ever, even with record turnout and use of mail-in ballots and drive-up drop boxes.

So, why are Republicans trying to limit access to the polls? They fear free and fair elections and only win through suppression and gerrymandering. People will not stand by while their voting rights are stolen.

Tell your representatives to support H.R. 1 in Congress to override these state changes.

- Victoria Kemp, Granbury

This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Is Texas going to let immigrants take priority over US citizens?."