Eagle Pass Border Coalition Hosts ‘Not Another Foot Rally: Serenata to Stop the Wall”
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
Eagle Pass Border Coalition, co-founded by Alejandro J. Flores and his sister, Robie Flores, hosted a bi-national musical rally against the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas and at the Piedras Negras Promenade in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico on Sunday, January 24, 2020 as part of an international day of protests against the U.S.-Mexico border wall stretching from San Diego, California to El Paso to Brownsville, Texas.
Eagle Pass Border Coalition joined forces with other citizens’ coalitions throughout the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight the beautiful culture of the border and showcase the long-term damage caused by the border wall to the unique border culture, environment, and wildlife habitat.
The rally titled “Not Another Foot Rally: Serenata to Stop the Wall” was held to bring attention to President Joe Biden concerning the U.S.-Mexico border wall and to hold him accountable for canceling the existing contracts awarded by his predecessor, Donald J. Trump, to build or replace additional miles of the controversial border wall, particularly in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila.
Both the City of Eagle Pass City Council and Maverick County Commissioners Court approved resolutions in December 2020 opposing the replacement of the existing U.S.-Mexico border wall along Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras with a new taller and burdensome wall approved by the previous Trump Administration, calling for stopping the wasteful expenditure of over $50 million in federal funds for an unnecessary border wall that already exists and functional.
Eagle Pass Border Coalition Co-founder Alejandro J. Flores welcomed guests on both sides of the border in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras at the border wall rally. He thanked the citizens of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras for participating and bringing awareness to the damage being done by the U.S.-Mexico border wall to the unique border culture and communities.
Co-Founder Robie Flores highlighted the uniqueness of the U.S.-Mexico border culture and its people and called upon President Biden to cancel any additional wasteful spending of millions of federal taxpayers monies to build or replace the border wall. She noted that the federal funds being earmarked for the construction or replacement of the border wall would best be used to fund the future of the border communities and its people.
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes spoke to the bi-national gathering and stated that the City of Eagle Pass supports border security, but opposes the wasteful spending of federal funds to replace an existing border wall that already exists and is functional. Mayor Sifuentes added President Biden and the federal government should use the federal monies earmarked for replacing the existing border wall for much needed infrastructure, education, and health care projects on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Eagle Pass City Council member Elias Diaz stated the citizens of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras are one community with social, cultural, and economic ties that binds them since their founding as cities.
Mariachi Relampago of Eagle Pass and Mariachi Real of Piedras Negras provided a beautiful serenade to the citizens on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight the beautiful culture of the border. One mariachi group played on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande while the other played on the Mexican side. Guests were treated to an hour of beautiful mariachi music by both groups.
Robie Flores called upon President Biden to cancel the existing federal contracts to build or replace the U.S.-Mexico border wall awarded by the Trump administration and utilize those federal monies to fund the future of the U.S.-Mexico border and its people.
