May. 20, 2005

Gov. Perry Responds to Congresswoman Jackson Lee Concerning the Minuteman Project

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today sent the following letter to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in response to her query regarding the Minutemen Project:

May 20, 2005

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee

U.S. Representative, District 18

U.S. House of Representatives

2435 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congresswoman Jackson Lee:

Thank you for your letter about the Minuteman Project and border enforcement.

As you know, I did not invite the Minuteman Project to Texas. Nor do I, or any other elected official, have the authority to prevent law-abiding citizens from traveling to, from or within this state.

With that said, I fully understand and can appreciate the frustration that many Texans and others across the nation have with illegal immigration, its potential impact on our national security and the unacceptable burden it is placing on taxpayers, and state and local criminal justice, education, and health care systems. A recent report issued by the Pew Hispanic Center found that there has been a 23 percent increase in illegal immigration in the past four years. It is estimated that more than 10 million undocumented immigrants now live in our country with 1.4 million in Texas alone. The continued flow of a significant number of undocumented immigrants into the United States is not acceptable, especially in the post-9/11 era.

Border control and enforcement of the laws against illegal immigration are the responsibilities of the federal government. As a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, you are in a position to address this important matter. The federal government can and must do more to close the border to illegal immigration. Until that happens, these kinds of citizen-initiated efforts likely will be the result. If you want to send the Minutemen home, I urge you to make sure we have enough federal agents on the border to secure it.

Sincerely,

Rick Perry

Governor