Media Credit: Bryant Haertlein Curtis Collier, president of U.S. Border Watch, answers an audience question, as Terri English, director of Immigration Counseling and Outreach Services, looks on at a panel discussion on immigration issues in Round Rock Monday night.

Immigration experts discussed pressing issues regarding illegal immigration Monday night at the Round Rock City Hall, in light of city-wide book club members reading a novel on immigration.

Every year, Round Rock citizens choose one book to collectively read and talk about during library-sponsored forums. Citizens voted on "A Devil's Highway" this summer, a book about 26 Mexican men trying to cross the border into the United States.

Under the auspices of the moderator, the Rev. Dr. William J. Sappenfield, five panelists discussed their views on making the border more secure, immigration laws, the T. Don Hutto immigration detention facility and the rights illegal immigrants should be granted as noncitizens.

"White people don't have anything against brown people," said Curtis Collier, president of U.S. Border Watch. "It's not about race, it's about legal and illegal immigrants and keeping people out of the country who shouldn't be here."

Panelists included Terri English, director of Immigration Counseling and Outreach Services; Curtis Collier, president of U.S. Border Watch; Leslie Helmcamp, director of immigrant concerns for the Catholic Charities of Central Texas; Edna Yang, general counsel for Political Asylum Project of Austin; and Larry Youngblood, Texas border patrol volunteer.

English said there's not much that can be done to stop the Texas population from changing after the moderator referenced the statistic that, by 2015, 50 percent of Texas will be non-Caucasian.

"Most people are afraid of change and find it disconcerting to drive through a town you grew up in to see the signs in another language," English said.

Lou Ann Anderson, a Temple resident who grew up in Austin, agreed with English and said she doesn't recognize the streets she grew up around.

"Every time I drive down South Lamar and see Mexican flags, I wonder where the hell I am," Anderson said.

Continued...

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