Texas Border Business
Immigration and trade to be major topics of discussion for guests, call-in viewers as show airs live from Laredo international bridges
LAREDO, Texas — Today Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) announced that C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, the live, national, call-in program, will air live this week from Laredo on June 1 and 2 at his invitation. Immigration and trade will be the topics of discussion for the featured guests, which include a live interview with Congressman Cuellar and host Greta Brawner as well as a taped interview with Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz. Congressman Cuellar and other guests will have an opportunity to show viewers the reality of the border, dispelling negative perceptions and educating the country on the safety and trade-based prosperity of border communities like Laredo. The program airs live from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. CST on Channel 21 on Time Warner Cable.
“I thank Greta and the C-SPAN crew for accepting my invitation to Laredo to learn and share with their viewers the positive influence that trade that passes through Laredo has on the rest of the country,” Congressman Cuellar said. “This week’s broadcasts will showcase the powerhouse that is the Laredo port of entry, with its five bridges and 14,000 trucks crossing over every day. I would also like to thank the City of Laredo staff for helping coordinate on-the-ground interviews with local officials.”
The first day’s programming will be broadcast from Gateway to the Americas Bridge, known locally as Bridge I, and will focus on the issue of immigration. That day’s show will begin with phone calls from viewers around the country about immigration policy while showing live shots of Bridge I and air parts of an interview filmed with Mayor Saenz in April.
“Our hope with these interviews and the presence of national media in Laredo is that the rest of the country will get a true understanding of the border and border issues,” said Mayor Saenz. “It is up to us to dictate that conversation and not let anyone else misrepresent Laredo and the border.”
Other guests for the Wednesday program include:
· Brandon Darby, Managing Director and Editor for Breitbart TX, to talk about legal and illegal immigration in this border town;
· Nelly Vielma, local immigration lawyer, who will discuss practicing immigration law in the area and laws on the book related to citizenship and deportation; and
· Alfredo Corchado, author and Dallas Morning News Mexico City Bureau Chief, to talk about the cartels in Mexico, including the violence and smuggling of humans and narcotics. Corchado, a Mexican-American journalist, wrote Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey through a Country’s Descent into Darkness.
The next day, Thursday, June 2, the show will be live from World Trade Bridge, focusing on the all-important topic of trade. The show will begin with a live shot of the World Trade Bridge, where 6,000 trucks cross the U.S. border from Mexico every day.
Guests for that day’s program include:
· Congressman Cuellar on how trade benefits Laredo and the country
· Lynn Brezosky, trade reporter with San Antonio Express-News, who will begin the conversation about the flow and volume of trade across the Laredo border;
· Bob Cash, State Director for Texas Fair Trade Coalition, who is a critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
ABOUT C-SPAN:
Created by the cable TV industry and now in nearly 100 million TV households, C-SPAN programs three HD public affairs television networks; C- SPAN Radio (90.1 in the Washington Baltimore area; nationwide at c-span.org through the C-SPAN Radio app and on XM satellite radio) and a video-rich website which hosts the C-SPAN Video Library.
The Washington Journal – C-SPAN’s live, national, public affairs call-in program, which airs 7 days a week.
For more information on C-SPAN, visit https://www.cspan.org.
