A Texas Solution-esque proposal appears to be moving through the Texas GOP platform committee.
At the National Defense and Border Security Subcommittee meeting late Monday evening, a platform proposal containing a “guest worker” provision secured a majority vote from members of the committee.
The text of the provision reads as follows:
“The United States should re-institute a guest worker program that does not lead to permanent residency or a path to citizenship. (Bracero type program).”
The guest worker proposal, along with other findings by the committee, will be heard by the full temporary platform committee on Wednesday. If the full committee agrees with the provision then it would make its way to the floor of the convention where delegates could give it an up or down vote.
Harris County activist and precinct chair Rolando Garcia, serving as chairman of the committee that advanced the proposal, strongly opposed it.
“We had an election over illegal immigration in 2016 and Texans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Donald Trump and in favor of enforcing our immigration laws,” said Garcia. “I was very disappointed to see this measure advance and will be working to defeat it in the full committee.”
This new guest worker plank appears to be a watered down version of one that was slipped into the platform in 2012. Known as the “Texas Solution,” the proposal was repealed by delegates at the 2014 convention in a contentious floor fight.
The temporary platform committee, and its subcommittees, will continue to deliberate through Wednesday and then its report will be distributed to the body for approval. Delegates to the convention will have the opportunity to vote plank-by-plank on all proposed platform changes, including a “guest worker” provision, through electronically-tabulated voting.
Texas Scorecard is on-site in San Antonio and will continue to report on updates as the convention continues through the week.
