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Government Project
17
Project Status Update – 2020
Introduction:
Hello Viewer!
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Introduction
Throughout this presentation, we will be explaining our government proposal. We will include data and personal opinions to show our process.
ENJOY!
What's Our Proposal?
We are aiming for the amendment of Section 102(c) of the REAL ID act.
Basics
Our Brainstorming Process
Brainstorming
With a proposal at hand and a goal in mind, we had to think on how we were going to try to accomplish this hard task.
A fairly-simple method that we ended up agreeing on was to start small, trying to get supporters. Then, slowly but surely, gain more support until we get the attention of representatives.
What We Wanted to Achieve
Purpose
We are looking for the complete removal of Section 102 (c) of the REAL ID Act
If we cannot remove it, we would like to at least spread awareness about the problems that it could cause.
What did we Think was going to Happen?
Hypothesis
We thought that our proposal for the removal of Section 102 (c) would ultimately not be passed in congress, but we wished that our proposal would gather enough attention and support to hopefully get it looked at more seriously.
Importance
With this act removed, people would not have to worry about the government waiving any federal law.
Importance
Importance of Student Involvement
Student Involvement
To be able to remove Section 102 (c) of the REAL ID Act, we need support. The involvement of students is a great and easy way to gain support and spread awareness of the problem.
With enough students, our proposal will have a voice to fight for change.
Importance of local representation
Local Representation
With enough student support, our proposal can advance from just schools to the local community.
Having a local community to support our cause would be a great benefit and a good start to getting the attention of representatives.
Impact of the Change
Impact
If we do manage to remove Section 102(c) of the REAL ID Act, it will be a great relief to many people.
The change will secure their safety against this section, and people will not have to worry about the government overriding federal laws.
What Does This Mean to Us?
Seeing that we grew up in a community around the Rio Grande, the river means a lot to us, and we do not want it to be destroyed to "ensure" border security.
Personal Meaning
Research
We began to educate ourselves on the origin of this act and what others think about it.
Research
Background
We didn't know much about the REAL ID Act, but a quick search told us the following...
Background Knowledge
- Enacted in the wake of 9/11
- Implemented for security reasons
- Reason why we have state ID's
(U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d.)
Research in the Media
We searched through the news, social media, and other platforms to find anything related to this section.
Research in Media
Sources with Facts
"... with the stroke of a pen one individual has the ability to dismiss decades of protective laws passed by Congress and signed by presidents, all to circumvent local, state, and federal laws when constructing border walls" (Sierra Club, 2019)
"DHS secretaries during the George W. Bush and Donald Trump Administrations have used the waiver in all four U.S. states along the U.S.-Mexico border to override important environmental laws" ( Sierra Club, 2019)
Sources with Facts
According to KGNS Staff (2018), American border towns are some of the safest in the country.
"Sheriff Martin Cuellar says the crime that goes on in Nuevo Laredo gives Laredo a bad reputation" (KGNS Staff, 2018)
48 Federal Laws can be waived because of the REAL ID Act
(Friends of the Sonoran Desert, 2018)
What does Section 102 (c) cause?
Section 102 (c) gives the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security complete autonomy to waive federal environmental protection laws to construct border structures.
Constructing a border wall would harm the habitats of 1,506 native species, including 62 that are considered "critically endangered"
(U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005)
(Parker, 2019)
Protests
Although there have not been any specific protests against this section, there have been other protests against similar causes.
Ex. "No Border Wall" and the "Climate Change Strike" protests held in Laredo, Texas
Protests Across the States
Survey Questions
Survey
1. "I don't think the Department of Homeland Security should have the power to ignore every and all laws concerning border security, including ones made to protect the American people.”
2. Do you know someone whose private land has been compromised because of Section 102 (c) of the Real ID act?
3. Are you aware that the US department of homeland security can take possession of private lands without approval from Congress?
4. Do you agree that environmental protection laws (ex. Clear air and water act, endangered species act, etc.) are very important and should be protected?
(Cigarroa & Yarrington, 2020)
Question 1
These results show a strong opposition against the powers granted to Homeland Security by Section 102 (c). 70.19% of the 104 people agree that these powers exceed what should be deemed lawful.
(Cigarroa & Yarrington, 2020)
Question 2
While many are unaware that private land is being taken from citizens, there are a few afflicted.
(Cigarroa & Yarrington, 2020)
Question 2
Question 3
A staggering 60% of the participants are blissfully unaware to the fact that border properties may be forcefully taken from their owners, more than often leaving an insultingly low compensation.
(Cigarroa & Yarrington, 2020)
Question 4
93.2% of participants support the protective laws that Section 102 (c) violates.
Question 4
(Cigarroa & Yarrington, 2020)
Survey Results
Conclusion
A majority of the youth in Laredo is against the prospect of a law that violates beloved protective laws, gives excessive power to the federal government, and allows theft of land. These laws are supposed to be made to represent the people, but the sheer amount of citizens clueless to this abuse of power suggests a breach of the democratic protocol.
Representatives
For our cause to go into effect, we need support in the federal government. We sent letters to 5 public officials in the hopes that they would voice our concerns on the national stage.
Summary
Our letter warns of the danger that reckless border security construction could have on the environment. Section 102 (c)'s dismissal of protective laws is simply unacceptable and must be repealed for the benefit of nature and all those whom depend on it.
Letter Summary
National Figures
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Ted Cruz
Representative Henry Cuellar
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf
Who were Contacted?
Why?
Why did we choose them?
We chose Nancy Pelosi for her powerful support.
We chose Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz as they are leaders of our border state, Texas. This issue is very relevant to them.
We chose Henry Cuellar because he is a Representative of our border district that could voice our cause in Congress.
We chose Chad Wolf because he is the current Secretary of Homeland Security.
What are their views like?
Mostly Conservative
All of these representatives, other than Nancy Pelosi, have more conservative views. Our letters' objective was to show these leaders that despite their primarily conservative views, they should consider alternatives to Section 102 (c) for the good of the nation.
Their Political Views
Did we Receive a Response?
No.
We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that our letter is highly controversial contributed to the fact that our group was not replied to.
Did we get a Reply?
... but this didn't stop us.
Moving Forward
Because we were intrigued by our proposal and its potential, we decided to continue with our investigation. We want to make people more aware of the effects of Section 102 (c) of the REAL ID Act, and we hope to increase the participation of Laredo's youth in the political process.
Promotions
The first step in bringing awareness to the issues created by Section 102 (c) is to spread the word about our proposal.
Promotions
Talking to Friends/ Family
How did our Teachers help?
We sent out our survey to some of our counselors and teachers so they could send the survey out to the high school students at Early College.
Help From Teachers
Thankfully, They Did!
So, how did this help?
Because of our teachers and counselors, we were able to count with the input of almost all of the students in our grade as well as the opinions of other grade levels.
Effects
Hooray!
Instagram Page
We created an Instagram page and promoted it amongst our friends. We post facts about the Rio Grande and the Real ID Act. We continue to maintain and develop the platform. Doing so will help us continue to inform people about this situation.
Instagram Page
Overall Account
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Highlight Stats
15 accounts reached with this story
Highlight
1 account replayed the story
1 account forwarded the story
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Post #1 Stats
6 likes
2 comments
Post #1
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Post #2 Stats
9 likes
4 profile visits
Post #2
34 accounts reached
52% were new accounts
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Post #3 Stats
11 likes
50 profile visits
Post #3
54 accounts reached
2 people forwarded the post
22 clicks on survey
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Post #4 Stats
9 likes
3 profile visits
Post #4
21 accounts reached
(Young Leaders of Laredo, n.d.)
Talking to Friends/ Family
We also asked our families for advice and for their opinions on the matter.
We contacted several of our friends through class group chats and social media...
... to inform them of the situation and to ask for their support...
They gave us ideas on how to develop our proposal.
... when it came to our survey and Instagram page.
They were also supportive of our wish to change the Real ID Act.
Their responses were positive
Additionally, some completed our survey.
Working with LISD
The more we realized the importance of amending Section 102 (c) of the REAL ID Act, the more we wanted to involve others in our movement. We started brainstorming ways to extend our project so that Laredo's youth could also experience and benefit from political activism.
Working with our School District
What Did We Do?
What We Did
We then contacted LISD's Superintendent, Dr. Sylvia Rios, and asked her if she could distribute our survey link and Instagram page to LISD's students and faculty.
Lastly, we had a conference call with Ms. Valdez, who agreed to help us create and grow a student-led movement within our school district.
Dr. Rios forwarded our email to Executive Director for Communications Veronica Castillon and to Ms. Valdez, who works with LISD's Superintendent's Advisory Council.
First, we decided that the best way to involve teenagers in our movement was to seek help from our school district.
... due to COVID-19, we will begin working with students next fall :)
Conclusion
We were able to publicize our small idea into a growing movement that is gaining more and more attention using social media. We are also working with our school district to get our message out as far as possible.
Success!!
While we did not get the responses that we desired from the letters we sent to the Senators and the House Representatives, we still got a good amount of publicity that we are proud of.
Were we Successful?
Support/Interest
We were able to get the amazing support of so many wonderful people in the Laredo Independent School District, and their interest in our push for this change makes us happy and motivates us to keep on going.
Support/ Interest
What We Learned
We learned that by reaching out to powerful members of the community, we can accomplish gathering a supportive group that can actually change our community. We also learned that although our political process is tricky to navigate, there are different approaches to bringing awareness to a proposal.
What We Would Have Changed
Had we had foresight about the likeliness of us not getting replies from our letters and the COVID-19 pandemic, we would have publicized our movement sooner and stayed within the local Laredo area to gather support more effectively.
References
Cigarroa, L. & Yarrington, S. (2020). Thoughts of section 102 (c) [Data set]. Retrieved from
https://www.surveymonkey.com/analyze/egFO6O6fHDP2ZvX2scul5zECeCDN55vcdZx1hsKCztk_3D
Friends of the Sonoran Desert. (2018, May). Laws waived to expedite construction of a border wall. Retrieved
from https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/program/documents/FSDWaivedLaws.pdf
KGNS Staff. (2018, January 22). FBI crime report shows violent crime statistics along the border. KGNS.tv.
Retrieved from https://www.kgns.tv/content/news/FBI-crime-statistics-470567403.html
Parker, L. (2019, January 10). 6 ways the border wall could disrupt the environment. Retrieved from National
Geographic website: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/how-trump-us-mexico-border-wall-could-impact-environment-wildlife-water/
Sierra Club. (2019, April 26). Real ID waiver authority compromises our borderlands. Retrieved from
https://www.sierraclub.org/borderlands/real-id-waiver-authority-compromises-our-borderlands
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d). REAL ID. Retrieved March 26, 2020, from
https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
U.S. Government Printing Office. (2005, May 11). Emergency supplemental appropriations act for defense, the
global war on terror, and tsunami relief, 2005 (DOCID: f:publ013.109). Retrieved from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-109publ13/html/PLAW-109publ13.htm
Young Leaders of Laredo [@young.leaders.of.laredo]. (n.d). Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved April 18, 2020,
from https://instagram.com/young.leaders.of.laredo
Citations
Thank You!