Texas
Tim Walz’s overture on Texas border crisis a welcome olive branch
What Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t say about immigration in a recent CNN interview speaks volumes about why the nation has not had serious immigration reform in decades.
Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor and presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee, recently conceded that there is a border crisis and Democrats need to acknowledge it, something this editorial board has urged Democrats to do.
“When they’re asked if it’s a crisis, you need to answer, ‘Yes, it’s a crisis.’ And then deal with it,” Walz said in an interview on the Ezra Klein Show, days before he became Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
It’s important for leading Democrats to get serious about acknowledging what Walz did in plain language. Conservatives are fairly skeptical about the left’s willingness to engage in strong border enforcement, but Walz didn’t mince words.
“Leaving it and saying it’s not a problem is a political detriment to Democrats,” he said. “Just acknowledge it is. You’re not denigrating anyone, and you’re not helping them — being the immigrants — by saying it’s not a problem. Because they know better than anybody it’s a problem. Because they’re stuck at a border community with nowhere to go.”
Abbott’s decision to bus migrants out of Texas to deep blue cities got near universal condemnation from the left. The reality was that it demonstrated states like Texas cannot and should not be forced to bear the burden of an unmanaged border. And it helped wake up the country to the problems at the border.
Walz characterized Abbott’s busing program as cruel and inhumane. That’s unhelpful. The governor was fairly criticized in 2022 for dropping off more than 100 migrants near the Naval Observatory in below-freezing temperatures without coordinating with local groups. But Texas has bused more than 100,000 people without incident, and many have expressed gratitude for the free trips.
Walz did concede that the action “suggests the problem in Texas is pretty bad.”
That’s a start at least on getting real about how difficult mass migration has been on Texas and especially on border towns and cities.
Walz importantly said that he would support the bipartisan Sinema-Lankford immigration reform bill that we think balances serious enforcement with humane processing of asylum applications.
When Abbott was asked on CNN whether he would work with a potential Harris-Walz administration on border security, he rightly pointed out key policy differences. That’s fair. But it’s unfortunate he stopped short of saying that he would engage with Democrats in Washington who are ready to look at solutions.
That is what most Americans find so frustrating about the immigration debate. Abbott might harbor frustration with federal inaction, but he must also signal a willingness to work with anyone who is willing to bring forward some answers.
We get that it is difficult for a Republican to promise to work with a Democrat or vice versa in this highly polarized environment, especially when presented with a hypothetical question. Nonetheless, Walz’s gesture is welcome, and we wish Abbott would have acknowledged it.
It used to be common to hear a politician say, “I’ll work with anyone who wants to work with me.” Now, somehow, that’s political poison.
It is true that, for months, Harris and President Joe Biden wrongly insisted that the border was secure even as tens of thousands or more crossed it illegally. Only after the border crisis became undeniable did the Biden-Harris administration belatedly enact an executive order to reduce illegal migration and back the bipartisan border security package.
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump foolishly helped kill that measure earlier this year to preserve a campaign issue. Harris has promised to resubmit the measure if elected.
Americans want and deserve border and immigration solutions. We are tired of years of unproductive cynicism. Border issues are solvable but require leadership, outreach and compromise to not make perfection the enemy of progress, beginning with Democrats and Republicans, regardless of whether they are in the White House, Congress or state capitols.
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ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.
In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.
“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.
The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.
But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.
Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.
But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”
On Twitter/X: @t_myah
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Quinn Ewers on making the most of his moments as a Texas Longhorn
“That’s the fun part about playing at program like this. Being able to sit back and just understand the pride and tradition that comes with playing here.”
Texas football will be without star receiver Isaiah Bond on Saturday, who was shown in street clothes prior to the Longhorns’ first-round College Football Playoff game against Clemson.
No. 5 Texas (11-2) hosts No. 12 Clemson (10-3) in the third CFP game of 2024, with quarterback Quinn Ewers needing to rely on the Longhorns’ other receivers in their opening round. Bond is dealing with an ankle injury, and was shown on the sideline with a boot during pregame warmups Saturday.
Bond suffered the injury in Texas’ loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game, putting his status into question. Bond has 532 receiving yards with six touchdowns in 12 games this season.
The first-year transfer from Alabama was one of the most sought-after transfer portal recruits in the country last offseason, ranked as the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 receiver of the cycle.
Here’s everything to know about Bond’s injury:
Isaiah Bond injury update
Bond will miss Texas’ game on Saturday against Clemson with an ankle injury, as he was shown in street clothes and with a boot on his ankle during pregame warmups.
The former five-star transfer portal recruit suffered a high-ankle sprain against Georgia in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7. Texas hopes to get back its top receiver in the next weeks of the CFP if it beats Clemson on Saturday.
What is Isaiah Bond’s injury?
Bond suffered a high-ankle sprain against Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Bond was shown with a boot on his foot ahead of Texas’ game against Clemson on Saturday.
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