BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Every immigrant that comes to the United States adds value to the economy. That is the view of Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr.
Cowen recently visited Washington, D.C., to promote the agenda of the South Texas Alliance of Cities. This agenda includes support for immigrant families. Whilst in D.C. he also chaired a panel discussion on immigration at a conference hosted by the United States Conference of Mayors.
The Rio Grande Guardian sought an interview with Cowen about his visit to D.C. In the interview, Cowen made clear he does not agree with the Trump administration’s current policy of mass deportation of immigrants.
“Every immigrant that comes to the United States adds value to our economy,” Cowen said. “Overall, we’re not growing as a country. We're not replacing each generation. We are not replacing the one previous. So, it's important that we have a healthy immigration system and provide a path forward for people that have skills, that are adding value, that are in the trades, that are in our hospitality industry, restaurants. They’re a valuable part of our economy.”
Cowen continued:
“We can't just remove that segment that might have overstayed their visa, or they have other immigration issues that that need to be addressed. Should they pay a penalty? Absolutely, they didn't follow the rules. But are they criminals and should they be immediately deported? I don't think that's the solution. There's a lot of mixed status families. It's a very complicated situation, and so you can't just treat it with one brush.”
Asked how the trip to D.C. went, Cowen said:
“Well, for the first part of the trip we had meetings on behalf of the South Texas Alliance of Cities. And we had our own agenda prior to the conference. So, we met with different federal agencies, including the White House, to talk about the priorities for our region. It's important to have those face-to-face meetings, and I think it has a big impact.'
And with regard to the immigration panel he chaired, Cowen said:
“I helped moderate a mayor's panel on immigration, along with mayors from Denver, from Portland, Oregon, and, I believe, a suburb of Minneapolis. So, everyone around the table were mayors. So, they all had input on the topic. It was a timely discussion, and we talked about the challenges that we're all dealing with.”
Asked if there was anything specific about immigration in Brownsville that he brought up, Cowen said:
“Well, I think it's important as a border city to talk about the realities of the situation, and I'm trying to focus on proactive solutions to ensure that our community stays strong and we have… that we provide… in my opinion, we need a pathway for people that have been here a long time, that are adding value to our economy, that are good citizens. I think they should pay a penalty, but I think the idea that they're criminals and they need to be removed immediately, I think that's the wrong the wrong message at this stage.”
Asked how his message was received, Cowen said:
“Well, they were listening, right? It's one of those things where it's important to tell your story, and represent your community in D.C. You're not always going to get immediate solutions, but I think it adds to the input that they receive. I think I was the only mayor from the (Rio Grande) Valley that was present so important to tell our story.”
Asked what the representative from the suburbs of Minneapolis had to say, Cowen answered:
“Obviously, you see everything that's happening in the news And, they are… it's a more… they're on edge. Obviously, they're trying to de-escalate the situation. And I think that’s a lesson that we can all learn, in terms (not only) of messaging with our community, but messaging the federal government and making sure that we have an open and honest relationship with our federal representatives to ensure the safety of our community.”
Asked if he could see ICE operating in Brownsville the way the agency has been operating in Minneapolis, Cowen said:
“I don't think something like that would happen here. Again, it is my hope that we again we work towards a logical solution here. I think we need to realize the reality of the situation. That, just economically, every immigrant that comes to United States adds value to our economy.”
