AUSTIN, TX – Yesterday FWD.us hosted its first Texas Hispanic Republican Conclave, bringing together conservative community and business leaders from Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio, among others, to discuss ongoing immigration policy needs in Texas and across the country. The conservative Hispanic leaders from across the state came together to discuss challenges posed by our nation’s broken immigration system and how Republicans can best respond to them. Participants presented former Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina with a lifetime achievement award for his longtime service toward advancing the conservative Hispanic cause.
Texas is home to more than 4.7 million immigrants. These immigrants are integral to the state’s $1.6 trillion economy – the nation’s second largest – with immigrant-owned businesses employing more than 630,000 Texans and selling more than $104 billion in products. Immigrants as a whole contribute more than $110 billion in annual purchasing power to the state’s economy. Many Texas immigrants are Dreamers who serve their state by pursuing careers as teachers, nurses, engineers, and emergency first responders.
FWD.us is grateful to these leaders for coming together to discuss these important issues, and expressing their desire to continue their conversation in the following months. Quotes from yesterday’s Hispanic Republican Conclave include:
“Immigrant communities have enriched Texas for generations through their contributions to our society, our economy and our history. Real solutions to the immigration challenges facing our country require compromise and thoughtful debate, and are only possible when Texans of all backgrounds come together for dialogue, as we have today.” – FWD.us Texas State Director Zaira Garcia
“I am humbled to receive a lifetime achievement award from my fellow Hispanic Republicans, who work every day to make Texas the best state to live in. It’s important that we as Hispanics continue to take a seat at the table to contribute to ideas that will lead to meaningful immigration reform, and tonight’s conclave fostered an important discussion on this critical issue.” – David Medina, Former Texas Supreme Court Justice
“Immigration has always been a critical part of the fabric of our country and state, and while we can debate the best way to move forward, we can all agree that something must be done to address our current immigration system. Every viewpoint is important to advancing a solution that works for our nation, and conversations like those we’ve had here today are critical to that process.” – Temo Muniz, Chair, Texas Federation of Hispanic Republicans
“It is encouraging to see several generations of Hispanic conservatives working together to advance principled solutions for immigration issues in Texas. As Texans, we understand the importance of immigration and as conservatives we want to lead on this issue – tonight’s conclave and discussion was an important step in doing just that.” – Mark Gonzales, Founder and Executive Director, US Hispanic Action Network
