Opposing illegal immigration is not racist says Senator Pat Fallon

Senator Pat Fallon said, “Illegal immigration puts a huge strain on our state’s resources. While we’re known for our hospitality here in Texas, anyone who wants to take advantage of the benefits of living in Texas has to do so legally.” This statement serves as a pillar of Fallon’s stance on illegal immigration.

During Fallon’s recent town hall tour in Young County, Fallon visited Graham and Wichita Falls. Although illegal immigration was not discussed at the Graham town hall, the question was presented to Fallon during the town hall in Wichita Falls. It is easy to see why citizens are concerned about illegal immigration since it has been the focal discussion topic among many politicians during the climax of the controversy surrounding family separations resulting from illegal immigration.

Although citizens are concerned about people who reside in the U.S. without authorization, they are reluctant to share their concerns for fear of being called racist. When the moderator Pam Hughes asked the question about the most common misunderstanding about Fallon’s views on immigration during the Wichita Falls town hall, his response was “Conservative Texans opposed to illegal immigration are not racist but recognize most construction workers have ‘brown faces’ and respect their hard work.” Fallon continued, “Conservatives just want immigrants to come to the U.S. legally,” Fallon said according to a report in the Times Record News. Fallon said when it comes to immigration, the national media portrays Republicans as racist among other things. TRN reported Fallon’s comment, “When you disparage an entire political party or their members…it’s garbage because they’re not only insulting you when they say things like that, they’re insulting your parents,” he said.

Almost every time Fallon discusses immigration, he prefaces his statements with lack of concern about immigrants who are here legally; he says his concern is with ‘illegal immigrants’ stating, “Nothing is putting more of a strain on our state’s budget than illegal immigration.” Fallon believes that unchecked migration that exists at the Texas border is unstainable, and the U.S. has a right to choose who enters our country stating “illegal immigration puts a strain on our health care system and on schools that spend more than $5 billion a year to educate illegal immigrants in the K-12 public education system.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were 12 million immigrants living in the country illegally as of January 2015, which equates to just under 4 percent of the nation’s total population. The migration study further indicates that the majority of the undocumented population comprises 55 percent Mexicans.

While the percentage of unauthorized U.S. residents is small, Fallon considers the numbers significant enough to propose bills that will “remove incentives for illegal immigrants.” The bills he proposes will prevent funding for in-state tuition, ban sanctuary cities across our state, and require all government agencies to use E-Verify for hiring. “I believe we can send a strong message that we Texans welcome immigrants to our great state, but our warm welcome is reserved for those who come here legally and show respect for our laws,” Fallon said.