Mark Tippetts, Libertarian nominee for Texas Governor, criticizes Greg Abbott’s border inspection policy as a “harmful political stunt,” and calls for freer trade, ending the war on drugs, and for making immigration from Latin America easier.
Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered increased inspections of trucks entering Texas, causing massive pileups of trucks with critical supplies for businesses in Texas and beyond. The inspections were allegedly to look for illegal immigrants, drugs, and other contraband. Later, he reversed some of the measures after complaints from businesses and damages reported to cost in the hundreds of millions.
“Governor Abbott’s border inspections are a bad policy that hurts both Texas and Mexico, and shows Abbott is more interested in punishing people for political gain than allowing them to improve their lives, and the lives of others,” said Tippetts.
Tippetts continued, “Instead of wasting money searching for drugs, we should end the hopeless war on drugs and allow drug abuse to be treated like a disease. Instead of busing immigrants to Washington, D.C., I’d lobby D.C. to make it easier for Mexicans to come to America legally to live, work, and in some cases to join our great nation as American citizens.
“Today it’s almost impossible to immigrate legally unless you’re a high-tech worker and already have close connections. The process is insanely complicated. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and can take decades. In contrast, it only takes a few days and a few thousand dollars to pay a smuggler to get you in. That’s why many people choose the illegal method over the legal method. And the vast majority of people who come here illegally don’t want to hurt anyone. They just want to work: build homes, work in restaurants, and make a living for themselves and their families.
“We need more workers in Texas. Abbott’s bad policy, on top of the federal government’s bad policies, is just idiotic.
“Abbott wants to build walls, put our military on the Mexican border to keep people out, and set up checkpoints throughout Texas causing massive delays on highways that Texans use on a daily basis.
“Not me. That’s not freedom. That’s not liberty. Government should protect the liberty of all people, not take it away.
“When elected Texas Governor, I will work with other governors, Congress, and the President to make it easier to immigrate to the U.S. legally. Instead of seeing foreigners as a problem, we should welcome them as potential friends, business partners, and customers.”
Mark Tippetts is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for Texas Governor. He was born in Mexico and is a bilingual legal & business consultant for businesses and individuals doing business with Mexico and Latin America.
