United States Congressional Representative Filemon Vela (D) from Texas’s 34th district responded to Donald Trump’s Texas-Mexico border proposal in an open letter on June 5.
“Mr. Trump, you’re a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass,” Vela wrote in a lengthy letter to Trump.
In the letter, Vela agrees with Trump on some policies, such as improving veterans care, deporting criminal felons who are in the United States illegally, and addressing Mexican cartel violence and corruption in Mexico. However, he then lambastes Trump for his racist behaviors towards those of Mexican descent and his promise to build a 1,000 mile long impregnable wall on the southern U.S border.
“While you would build more and bigger walls on the U.S-Mexico border, I would tear the existing wall to pieces,” Vela said. “Why any modern-thinking person would ever believe that building a wall along the border of a neighboring country, which is both our ally and one of our largest trading partners, is frankly astounding and asinine.”
Vela further pointed out that despite his Mexican heritage, his own ancestry goes back further in the United States than Trump’s paternal grandfather.
“Let me point out that my great-great grandfather came to this country in 1857, well before your own grandfather,” Vela said. “His grandchildren (my grandfather and his brothers) all served our country in World War I and World War II. His great-grandson, my father, served in the U.S. Army and coincidentally, was one of the first ‘Mexican’ federal judges ever appointed to the federal bench.”
Others appear to agree with the open letter South Texas Rep. Filemon Vela wrote.
“Most illegal immigrants who come to the United States have a work visa and then stay after their job expires because they believe life is better here,” University of Oregon student Alex Gedrose said. “However, after their job expires they are then considered illegals. Trump does not seem to understand this.”
Furthermore, some have argued that the wall, in addition to being both a wasteful and racist proposal, is actually unnecessary.
“Where the wall would be placed, people trying to cross it can’t cross anyways because the desert is thousands of miles and people would not survive that long in the dry desert,” Gedrose said. “Considering the wall will probably cost more than $10 billion dollars, it is a waste of money.”
Trump states the wall will cost no more than $12 billion; however, experts suggest it could potentially demand more than $25 billion, without including hefty maintenance.
“The wall is simply racism,” Gedrose said.
