Tag Archives: immigration

Dan Patrick strongly denies having once been a decent human being

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m late to the party on this, but I think my post title about sums it up. State Sen. Dan Patrick, who says Texas leaders must “stop the invasion” from Mexico, went along with a decision to hire at least … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor Hispanic Republicans

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say I feel sorry for them, but I don’t. Every few years, I like to check in with Massey Villarreal to see if he’s still a Republican. He still was on Thursday. But it’s getting harder all the time. … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s border surge plan

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot of not much here. Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor, said Tuesday he wants to nearly double state spending to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border, proposing a “continuous surge” with 1,000 new boots … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick is lying about immigration and crime

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the headline to Peggy Fikac’s column should be, but she took the easy way out. At a forum where statewide candidates strutted their stuff for leading business groups, Sen. Dan Patrick could have focused on pretty much any … Continue reading →

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The “illegal immigrant” hunt

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Who could have ever predicted that this would be a bad idea? A conservative student group at the University of Texas announced Monday that it plans to organize a mock immigration roundup on campus this week as a way to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Chron keeps trying to talk to Ted Cruz

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s kind of cute, and probably about as effective as my efforts to talk to my dog. When U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stands before the Greater Houston Partnership tomorrow morning to deliver his “State of the Senate” address, he’ll … Continue reading →

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Faith and business leaders rally for immigration reform

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: PROMINENT HOUSTON FAITH & BUSINESS LEADERS URGE REP. TED POE TO SUPPORT COMMON SENSE IMMIGRATION REFORM Pressure Continues to Build as Congress Returns to D.C. (Houston, TX)- On Thursday, September 12 at 11am, prominent clergy leaders and respected members … Continue reading →

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Farmers Branch still hasn’t learned

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s stubborn, there’s mulishly stubborn, and then there’s Farmers Branch. The City Council is not ready to give up its fight to ban immigrants in the U.S. illegally from renting in the city. The council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to … Continue reading →

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Farmers Branch loses again

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next chapter. The Farmers Branch ordinance barring people in the U.S. illegally from renting in the city is unconstitutional, an appeals court ruled for the second time Monday. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans … Continue reading →

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Targeting Farenthold

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, please. Democrats are trying to exact a political price for Texas Republicans’ votes to restart deportations of so-called “DREAMers” — the children illegally brought into the U.S. by their parents. The target of the latest ad buy is Corpus … Continue reading →

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The trend matters as much as the average

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I would characterize this Politifact analysis as basically accurate but not particularly meaningful. Republican consultant Karl Rove thinks Georgia Republicans need to be more like their Texas counterparts. In a May 18 speech at Georgia’s GOP state convention, Rove said … Continue reading →

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Ana Reyes makes history in Farmers Branch

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t pay much attention to Saturday’s elections, since there was nothing on the ballot for me and there were few races of interest around the state. One place where there were races worth watching was in Farmers Branch, and … Continue reading →

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Drivers licenses for all – maybe

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not quite drivers licenses, exactly, but close enough. A Dallas Democrat has teamed up with two powerful Republicans to craft a compromise version of a bill that would give immigrants here illegally the ability to drive legally in Texas and … Continue reading →

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The 2013 Houston Area Survey

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The 2013 Houston Area Survey shows that tolerance is prevalent in our region. The results, according to institute co-director Stephen Klineberg, may reflect the region’s growing ethnic diversity, younger residents’ acceptance of change and the emergence of live-and-let-live “tolerant traditionalists.” … Continue reading →

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Some things can’t be rebranded

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Louie Gohmert, ladies and gentlemen. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) warned Wednesday that “radical Islamists” are being “trained to act like Hispanic[s]” and cross the U.S.-Mexico border. “We know Al Qaeda has camps over with the drug cartels on the other … Continue reading →

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Keeping the push for immigration reform

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas House: Democratic Texas House members [have] filed an immigration resolution that could serve as a litmus test for Republican support for reforms being suggested at the national level. House Concurrent Resolution 44, which urges the U.S. Congress … Continue reading →

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Sidelining themselves on immigration reform

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what’s going to happen with the comprehensive immigration reform proposals that are out there now. It’s long overdue, and the political stars all seem to be aligned for it, but we said the same things about health … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to the 2013 Lege

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib previews the biennial hijinks of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The last time Texas lawmakers convened in Austin, they were absorbed with numbers and boundaries: how to make ends meet with a deflated state budget and draw new district … Continue reading →

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The dog that hasn’t barked yet

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The most dispensible member of the Harris County legislative caucus hasn’t done what she normally does yet. Camping out in the Texas Capitol to ensure a prime designation for your legislation on illegal immigration? That’s so 2011. State Rep. Debbie … Continue reading →

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Is immigration reform likely to happen now?

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

With President Obama’s victory powered in part by overwhelming support from Latino voters, and a dawning if grudging recognition from the GOP that they can’t continue to alienate this growing segment of the electorate, some kind of deal on immigration … Continue reading →

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How’s that GOP Latino outreach going?

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are issues. On Election Day, it became clearer than ever how important Hispanics, as the fastest growing portion of the U.S. population, are to national political success. Republican Mitt Romney earned only 27 percent of Latinos’ support in his … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit will re-hear the Farmers Branch lawsuit again

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have an uneasy feeling about this. Farmers Branch was sued four years ago after it passed an ordinance allowing the city building inspector to evict any illegal immigrant renters. Its case will now go before the full membership of … Continue reading →

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The ballot propositions we won’t have

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the 78th day before the November 6 election. That makes it the statutory deadline for ordering an election, as noted by the Secretary of State. They cite Sec. 201.054 of the Elections Code for this, which seems wrong … Continue reading →

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On hedging one’s bets

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Writing in the Trib, Mustafa Tameez tells Republicans that there such a thing as too much of a good thing for them. If Republicans win in SD-10, there will only be 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate. That means that … Continue reading →

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Rey Guerra: Latinos in Houston 2012

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. White, Black, Asian, or other, if you live in Houston, you’ve more than likely adopted aspects of Latino culture into your … Continue reading →

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Good move, Mr. President

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

About time. President Barack Obama’s administration announced Friday that it would stop deporting younger illegal immigrants and would begin granting them work permits. The policy will apply to immigrants younger than 30 who arrived in the U.S. before the age … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit rules against Farmers Branch

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I almost missed this. A federal appeals court has upheld the ruling that struck down a Farmers Branch renters ordinance aimed at banning illegal immigrants from rental housing in the city. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

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Jose Luis Zelaya

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Jose Luis Zelaya is running for student body president at Texas A&M. He’s also an “illegal immigrant”. Here’s his story. Zelaya first started working in the streets in Honduras at age 7, washing car windows and begging on buses. His … Continue reading →

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Dis-Harmony

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about the Harmony charter schools, which are right up there with KIPP and YES Prep among the top charters. They seem to attract a fair amount of criticism, more than their peers, for how they do their business, … Continue reading →

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Election results elsewhere

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Results of interest from elsewhere in Texas and the country… – Three of the ten Constitutional amendments were defeated, with Prop 4 losing by nearly 20 points. It drew strong opposition from anti-toll road activists, and I daresay that was … Continue reading →

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Today’s Republican Party is too radical even for Rick Perry

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Jones states a few facts about the Texas version of the DREAM Act that Rick Perry signed in 2001, and what it says about the Republican Party now. In 2001 the Republican Party enjoyed a narrow majority over the … Continue reading →

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DPS loses lawsuit over drivers license rules

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This happened the week before last, but I’m not sure it will matter at this point. On [July 29], Judge Orlinda Naranjo ruled against the Texas Department of Public Safety and said that the agency could no longer require those … Continue reading →

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Don’t hold your breath waiting for the GOP to fix immigration

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I confess that I only glanced at this op-ed by local immigration attorney Charles Foster about how the Republican Party can lead the way on immigration reform, but thankfully Greg was there to do a little deconstruction. I just want … Continue reading →

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The consolation prize

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans couldn’t get their act together enough to pass the “sanctuary cities” bill, but they did manage to do this. A provision in the approved Senate Bill 1, the special session’s must-pass school finance bill, will require people to … Continue reading →

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