'Our Strength Lies in Our Diversity'

By Monica D. Cruz

The author is a policy analyst for the Corporate Fund for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Austin, Tex.

A strong anti-immigrant sentiment has embedded itself in the state of California. As a result, many wonder whether other states with large numbers of immigrants will follow the same path.

In Texas, fortunately, the anti-immigrant fervor has not spread with the same intensity it has in California. There are a number of reasons: Texas shares close ties with Mexico geographically, historically, and economically. With a common border of nearly 800 miles, Texas and the four Mexican border states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas share a rich history with a vital connection that is apparent among the thousands of binational families that reside along the...