The Reality At The Border: Laredo Leaders Ask, ‘Where’s The Emergency?’

Laredo’s community leaders are taking a stand in the political battle over President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border.

By David Martin DaviesMarch 19, 2019 1:34 pm, , ,

From Texas Public Radio:

In the shadow of the international bridge between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Border Patrol agents prepare two airboats for another day of cruising the Rio Grande.

The agents are not in a rush, and the boats sit idling for more than an hour.

“The national emergencies, a made-up emergency by somebody that wants to fulfill a campaign promise. Is that really the way to go?” Mercurio Martinez III asks as he stands about three feet from the water. He is city councilman for District 3, which includes the riverfront.

He says the river current moves swiftly, and so no wall is necessary.

“That’s your wall,” he says. “We have one. It’s called the river. Look how wide it is. Somebody has to think twice to cross this river.”

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