Illegal Immigration & Human Trafficking

Illegal Immigration & Human Trafficking

(Speech given by political economist & Candidate for Houston City Council At-Large #2, Elizabeth Perez, at the Carl Pittman for Sheriff event with Sheriff Joe Arpaio on June 7th in Houston.)

Good morning my fellow Americans! Hope you all are ready for an action packed event. Are you guys fired up? Are you ready to take back OUR country? Let me have a round of applause if you are SICK of illegal immigration like I am. Is your heart racing? You ready to get this show on the road and help get Carl Pittman elected Sheriff of Harris County and restore OUR American values and law? Let’s give Sheriff Arpaio a warm welcome to Texas, the friendly state! First things first, if you are a veteran, an active member or a family member of someone who has served or is serving in our Armed Forces, please stand up. Let’s give them a hand! Thank you! Thank you for preserving our freedom and serving our country!

You guys are great! It’s a great pleasure to be in your company, and I’m honored to share the stage with such distinguished speakers who love our country. Before I begin, I just want to say that the thoughts and words that I am going to share with you today are my own, and that I wrote the talking points myself. I graduated from HISD’s High School for Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice, have a BA in Political Science, a 1st Masters in Political Science & Public Law and a 2nd Masters in International Business & Accounting. Thus, my credentials should suffice any doubts.

Now, before I get accused by my Latino counterparts on the left of being something I’m not, let me briefly tell you my family background. I am the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents who arrived in the US in 1969 with immigrant visas. Let me say that again, daughter of Mexican immigrant parents who entered the US LEGALLY. I want to make sure that Latino democrats and the media understand that my parents entered LEGALLY. I am a US citizen born and raised in Houston, TX. I was raised Jewish Catholic with conservative values and traditions, the importance of education and a strong work ethic.

On Memorial Day, the Houston Chronicle released an article covering State Representative Ana Hernandez’s illegal immigrant story and how she turned out to be a success. She explained how her parents brought her and her sister to Houston when she was an infant. Ms. Hernandez was upset that HB12 was passed in the Texas legislature that would “allow peace officers to make inquiries on legal status at their own discretion but would not require anything of them. It would not create an atmosphere of heavy immigration enforcement because no one is required by the bill to enforce immigration law or take any specific actions.”

This story makes my blood boil. She puts a “face” to illegal immigrants that is misleading. She dares to put a “face” to immigrant families. MY parents were NOT illegal! I was NOT born in Mexico! I am NOT an anchor baby! I, Elizabeth Perez, am the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents who respected the law of the land and arrived in the US LEGALLY and who remained legal. I am a US citizen born and raised in Houston along with SEVERAL other family members! My husband’s family history is like mine – LEGAL.

As “touching” as Ms. Hernandez’s story may be, her parents committed an illegal action by over staying their visit when their tourist visas expired. My parents arrived in the US with IMMIGRANT visas to avoid having to deal with the fear of deportation and so that their kids, my siblings & myself, wouldn’t have to deal with “the fear” that Hernandez spoke of in the teary-eyed speech she gave to State Legislators.

To which I say: “If you have done nothing wrong, you have no fear of your actions.” Her story does NOT justify or exempt her parents’ decision to remain in the US illegally. Her story neither represents nor is the face of all immigrant families.

The article further notes that Representative Debbie Riddle approached Ms. Hernandez after her speech and said, “You’ve been given a gift from G-d.” To which Ms. Hernandez’s responded: “I wasn’t given anything.” Hernandez’s statement is strongly mistaken. In fact, she was given something. She was given something by a Republican president. She and her family were given a pardon. Had it not been for President Reagan’s humanitarian beliefs, she would not be a state legislator today.

I find Ms. Hernandez’s irreverence to God to be appalling. I find it very disturbing that she would promote and advocate an unlawful action like illegal immigration, especially considering that she as an attorney took an oath to practice the rule of law and that as a state legislator she vowed to uphold the law of the land. Not to mention that she showed bad manners when Representative Riddle gave her a compliment. Ms. Hernandez, your duty as a state legislator is to the lawful citizens of your district and not to the illegal immigrants you are defending.

Ms. Hernandez is further quoted in the article indicating that she is focused on the “bread and butter issues” of her district that runs along the Houston Ship Channel, and immigration enforcement is a federal issue, not one for state legislators. The reality is that illegal immigration is conducive to other illicit activities and environments in the neighborhoods she represents. This subprime environment scares away small businesses that are family and school friendly. Instead, it attracts illicit bars, Sexually Oriented Businesses and vagrancy causing crime to rise in neighborhoods. This conduct steals the “bread and butter” of the families she claims to represent.

Ms. Hernandez, the Sanctuary City Bill would help bring innocent people out of the shadows and would put criminals in jail.

Did you know that Houston is the #1 hub in the U.S. for human trafficking? Did you know that young girls and women are smuggled into Houston and then distributed to other parts of the country along Interstate 10 and sold into prostitution? Did you know that these young girls and women are brought in from all over the world through Mexico?

Let me tell you a story about a 15 year-old Mexican girl named “Angela,” whose name has been changed to protect her identity. Angela is from northern Mexico. She and her parents were courted by an American citizen of Mexican heritage down in Mexico who promised to give Angela a better life in the U.S. He promised them that he would give her a job at his restaurant because in the US she could start working at 16 and that she could continue with school. After much persuasion and in much need of a better life, Angela and her family agreed that she could leave with this man to America – The Paradise Land. Well, the man kept his promise about giving Angela work in his restaurant as a waitress. However, his restaurant turns into an illicit bar after-hours. Angela was sold into prostitution at this man’s bar against her knowledge and will. This jerk had promised one of his customers “high quality” merchandise because Angela was a virgin. In Mexican culture, it is well known that 15 year old girls are still virgins. When she put up a fight, she was beaten, raped and starved for not complying to the customer’s request and to her boss’s demands. Angela would be starved for days until her hunger grew unbearable that she unwillingly complied to prostitution. She would have to engage in sexual activity before she would be given something to eat.

One day, Angela got brave and stole a customer’s cell phone while she was waitressing. She hid the phone and took it with her to the house where she was kept in captivity. She had learned 9-1-1 and made a frantic call while her smuggler was out of the house. The only clue she could give HPD was that she was at a house that had a red pickup truck outside. She didn’t know where she was in Houston. HPD located the signal of the cell phone and went door to door until they found the house with the red pickup truck where Angela was held captive.

It turns out that the smuggler had other young girls locked up there as well. To add insult to injury, the smuggler is also a drug lord who brands these young girls with the tattoo of a rooster so that he can identify them as his property if they run away and to distinguish them from another pimp’s girls. HPD has been tracking this thug, but has been unsuccessful in locating and arresting him. Angela and the other girls were able to give a description of the restaurant where they waitressed. HPD was able to find a few other leads of restaurants that operate illicitly after-hours and shut them down. Unfortunately, the drug lord is still out loose somewhere in Houston, in Texas and in Mexico.

Ironically, these modern day brothels are in Representative Hernandez’s District 143, Representative Alvarado’s District 145, Houston City Councilman Gonzalez’s District H and Houston City Councilman Rodriguez’s District I! Four Hispanic democrats. What have they done to “help” Latinos?

So my question today is directed to Ms. Hernandez, her democratic colleagues at the local, state and federal level and to Mr. Obama. The question I pose is the same question Ms. Hernandez posed to me when referring to me and my political party on our stance on illegal immigration when I met her in March of this year. I will ask the same question she asked in the same disgusted manner and body language she used (hand on one hip, move head in a snake-like fashion while bring 2 fingers to neck): “Ugh, do you people have a pulse?!” Mr. Obama, the alligators in the moat you spoke of when you visited Texas was your own democratic party. You and your party strive to keep illegal immigrants imprisoned as second class citizens in a modern day form of slavery.

Illegal immigration creates a second class citizenship AND contributes to the continuation of several other crimes! It’s a disservice for all Latinos! More importantly, it’s a disservice to the law abiding AMERICAN constituents in democratic districts for their representatives to continue to push for a sanctuary city.

How is illegal immigration humanitarian or beneficial to anyone!? What about the illegal immigrants who were left to die in a box trailer in Victoria, Texas? Must they have died? Was that really fair to them or their families? That situation should have NEVER happened. What about these young girls who are screaming for help because they’re being sold into prostitution at the tender age of 15?

We need to secure our borders and our cities NOW. We also need stricter immigration laws. I’m SICK of the Mexican government not taking care of its people that they have to come over here illegally risking their lives in the process.

Illegal immigration should not be an issue at all for the US. You know why? Because of something called NAFTA. NAFTA was implemented in 1994 with Mexico winning all of the negotiations against the US with the exception of the avocadoes. The purpose of NAFTA was not only to increase trade and generate revenue between the US and Mexico, but to reduce the influx of Mexican immigrants; thus, the quota system for immigration. This was negotiated by then President Carlos Salinas de Gortari & President George H. W. Bush. Let me remind you that Mexico won all of the negotiations for NAFTA. The immigration quota system was set by then Mexican President Salinas de Gortari and his cabinet. Around the same time, Mexico suffered the Mexican Peso Crisis in which it received a huge bail out from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The stipulation for Mexico receiving the loan was that Mexico was to reinvest the revenue generated from NAFTA back into the Mexican infrastructure so that Mexico could create jobs and continue to fund their version of Medicare, welfare and Social Security programs. The Mexican Republican Government is set up to mirror the democracy of the US Government.

Mexico averages ~$9B in revenue from NAFTA; whereas, the US averages ~$6B in revenue from NAFTA. Señor Presidente Calderon and Mr. Obama, this is elementary math. A kindergardner can subtract 6 from 9 and see that the difference is 3. Mexico obviously has the greater economic advantage to take care of its own people because it earns ~$3B more a year than the US! However, corruption continues to be prevalent in Mexico that the Mexican people are not receiving the benefits and programs they are entitled to receive as taxpayers in Mexico!

I pay taxes in Mexico as well because my parents own a very modest retirement home. I get screwed by both governments on both sides of the border. I’ve had enough of this! NAFTA is up for renegotiation in about a year or so. I say we renegotiate, shut down the border and make immigration stricter. Enough is enough already! Illegal immigration must stop now! Immigration enforcement does not separate families. US laws do not separate families. Poor choices and corruption in the Mexican and Latin American governments are what tear families apart!

To the Latinos out there that are listening to this message, Democrats like to make unfounded assumptions about Republicans. It is an oxymoron that democrats represent “democracy.” In fact, their party name is a misnomer. They push for a second class citizenship with illegal immigration that has us dependent on the government based on fear and emotions as a rationalization for daily function. You can’t send “hope and change” to the mortgage company or to your landlord. You can’t feed your family on hope and change either. You can’t fill your gas tank or pay your bills with emotions. Democrats have not answered the call of the little people. The democrats make us little people!

Now my fellow Americans as I finish my remarks. I ask that you please bare with me for just a moment so that I can relate this same message in Spanish for those of us out there who have not yet assimilated into American culture. I promise to be brief. For the English media, note that I am a native Spanish speaker and that the words you will hear are not a literal translation, rather you will hear the context of my message. For the Spanish media, it’s time our Spanish speakers hear this once and for all. Here goes.

Mi querido pueblo. Ya basta de tanto engaño de parte del gobierno mexicano y del partido democrata de los EEUU. Nos hemos desviado del buen camino al llegar a tierra ajena sin permiso. Los EEUU siempre ha sido muy hospitalario y caritativo pero se llega la hora cuando se acaba el dinero.

Los Republicanos NO somos racistas, NO somos anti-inmigrantes, NO somos anti-Hispanos. Simplemente estamos en contra de cualquier acto ilegal PUNTO. No se manifiesten en contra del pais que les brinda el pan de cada dia. Al contrario deberian de manifestarse en contra del gobierno mexicano, pero haganlo en Mexico.

Acuerdense de los mandamientos de Dios y de los principios que nos enseñaron nuestros abuelos y padres. Respeten las leyes del pais en el que estan. Y como dijo Benito Juarez: “El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.” Dios me los bendiga.

Thank you all for giving me the chance to speak. I pray that we all have good health, are safe and victorious in November 2011 & 2012. It’s time we take back our beloved country. Thank you, and God Bless the USA.