(courtesy of Americans Opposed to Racial Profiling on Facebook)
Despite the drubbing in the media, the threatened boycotts and the planned marches and protests, there is a segment of xenophobic Republican lawmakers empowered by Arizona's anti-immigration law enough to try to emulate it in their home state. ThinkProgress has a breakdown of the states (Utah, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska) and the actions being contemplated.
Not content with letting others take the xenophobe crown alone, Texas Sen. John Cornyn has also introduced legislation to strengthen the border.
“For many in Washington, border violence is merely a talking point, but for those who live along our southern border it has become a fact of life. Talk is cheap, but talk means nothing until we follow through and deliver the tangible resources our law enforcement needs to keep border residents safe,” said Senator Cornyn. “Our government has abdicated its responsibility when it comes to border security for far too long, leaving state and local taxpayers no choice but to pick up the slack to protect communities from cartel, gang violence, and cross-border trafficking. This bill will require the federal government to do its job.”
“For communities along the border with Mexico, the threat of violence is becoming all too real, but the federal government has yet to fully step up and do what is necessary to take on these challenges,” said Senator Hutchison. “This failure costs our state and local governments millions every year and puts lives in danger.”
Based largely on input from local law enforcement officers near the Texas border, Sen. Cornyn introduced The Southern Border Security Assistance Act to create a $300 million border grant program for state and local law enforcement within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, which will help quickly provide resources to purchase equipment, upgrade critical information systems, and hire additional officers. The bill also requires additional federal judges to handle the caseload from increased criminal prosecutions along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Not too pick too fine a nit, but I would mention that Cornyn, complaining that the federal government is not doing enough, is actually a MEMBER of the federal government.
