The No Labels response to the State of the Union

No Labels hosted the only bipartisan response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union, in cooperation with special guests Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX). The two leaders represent congressional districts in Texas that are carrying the heaviest burden from America’s broken immigration system.

Though they come from different political backgrounds, Reps. Cuellar and Gonzales agree the time is now for bipartisan action to fix America’s broken immigration system. In their response, they call on President Biden to work with them and other solutions-oriented members of Congress to find a lasting solution to secure our southern border and support legal immigration to support our workforce needs and our economy.

The No Labels State of the Union ResponseNo Labels hosted the only bipartisan response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union, in cooperation with special guests ...

Highlights from the discussion:

“Our districts are at the forefront of this border crisis. Immigration and border security are to me two different topics,” said Rep. Gonzales. “You can be completely for a safe border that prevents bad actors from entering our country, fentanyl from killing our kids, and people on the terrorist watch list. You can also be for an immigration system that welcomes those who want to live the American Dream. You can accomplish both.”

“We have to find a balanced way to approach border security,” said Rep. Cuellar. “When you talk about border security, it is very important that we do not play defense on the one-yard line or the U.S. Mexico border. We need to play defense on the 20-yard line. That is getting Mexico, Central America, and other countries involved to make sure they are doing their job.”

“When you talk about border security you have to find a balance,” said Rep. Cuellar. “There are some people who want to let everybody in, there are some people who don’t want to let anyone in…Right now we have 2 million final deportation orders. People who technically under the law are not supposed to be here. We have to find a better way, and this is why we want to work together.”

On Bipartisanship:

“One of the things you have to do as members of Congress is to have trust in each other,” said Rep. Cuellar. “This is what No Labels is all about, finding ways to work together and finding areas of consensus, not differences.”

“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, I think anyone that puts party before country is doing a disservice to the country,” said Rep. Cuellar. “That is what me and [Rep. Gonzales] are focused on, what is good for the country.”

“Thank you, No Labels, for putting members together to solve hard problems,” said Rep. Gonzales. “Immigration and border security are problems that every president has had to deal with. It is something [Rep. Cuellar] and I have to work on every day…this is a topic where Republicans and Democrats can roll up our sleeves and go to work.”