Beyond Business as Usual in Texas

Published June 25, 2025

Population migrations will always be part of human history. People move around for a lot of reasons. Generally speaking, people do things for ‘good’ reasons, and most will go to great lengths to seek security and opportunity.

The following is probably overly simplistic. I freely admit this is not expert insight. It is opinion. However, in a world where ‘experts’ are regularly exposed as biased to the point of blindness, I hope the following can still be both thought-provoking and motivating, even if I’m misunderstanding or missing key aspects. With your patience, let’s proceed.

It appears that Europe has not fared well with their mass influx of migrants in recent years. And there are plenty of other energized conversations from around the world regarding large active population shifts. However, this article will focus mainly on this topic from my local perspective as a native Texan.

The immigration debate often splits along partisan lines. The hardliners on either side often frustrate me as I see the real challenge is figuring out a way to navigate the tension between principled stances for legal status and the practical reliance of Texas industries on undocumented workers. I assume that any real solution will never make everyone happy. I pondered skipping this topic altogether just because of how unforgiving people can be when this topic surfaces.

Estimates are that between 1.2 and 1.9 million unauthorized immigrants are currently in Texas. Luckily, I don’t think Bosque County is as impacted by some of these dynamics as other parts of the state. But this reality impacts all Texans at some level. It is my sense that Texans may continue turning a blind eye when it involves specific undocumented people who they like or rely on. It’s my sense (anecdotally) that many Texans know the weight of this issue, but most are not committed to figuring out something better due to the inevitable pain. Texans are willing to let things rock along, but I don’t believe that will lead to our best future.

This is interesting because it’s my guess that, if pressed, most Bosque residents would say that upholding the rule of law is a core value. But everyone knows it gets uncomfortable when upholding the law impacts a friend or family member of someone you’ve worked with for three decades. It’s reminiscent of the old military doctrine of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But these realities inherently create tensions when laws are selectively ignored. 

Data shows 62% of Texas’ unauthorized immigrants have lived here over a decade with 22% over 20 years, and 40% for 10–19 years. Most have raised U.S.-citizen children and hold stable jobs. That’s not surprising, but that also points to a real problem with the simplistic idea of “kick ‘em all out!” We obviously didn’t get here overnight. 

Since legal status is a prerequisite for fairness, security, and accountability, it’s fair to say that lack of legal status leads to living dynamics that sound awful. To realize the positives of more Texans with proper legal status, we must take stock of reality and intentionally set out to do something different – now and into the future. And while these issues are tied to federal laws and not something that Texans can unilaterally decide, our current federal administration appears to be willing to let states lead out, set agendas, and take responsibility for improving things locally. So, Texas should do that.

There’s no question that Texas industries — especially agriculture, construction, and hospitality — rely heavily on undocumented labor. The last Texas Comptroller report available on this topic is from 2006. It estimated undocumented workers contribute $17.7 billion annually to Texas’ economy, including $1.6 billion in taxes. Recent third party research groups show those numbers to be significantly larger two decades later. With numbers that big, there’s no way that changing things won’t have some economic impact. Add the on-going visceral emotional energy surrounding the undocumented, there is no way any of this is going to be easy.

How long can Texas rock along “business as usual” as all of this continues to brew? I propose that everyone take a deep breath, take this seriously beyond some political stance, and realize that addressing this will be as uncomfortable as we’ve always suspected. Hopefully the rock throwers, the self-righteous, the hard-hearted, and the lawless will not continue to make this so hard that we all throw up our hands and just let it continue as is.

There are existing practical legal work programs like H-2A (agriculture) and H-2B (non-agricultural) visas. These programs allow temporary workers to work legally, ensuring industries function while upholding the law. Texas employed 14,000 H-2A workers in 2023, but that’s a tiny number and demand clearly far exceeds supply. Plus, the process is slow and costly. Streamlining applications, lowering employer fees, and increasing visa caps could improve labor needs without permanent residency debates. If pursued successfully and implemented on a larger scale, these programs might stabilize the impacted economies, ensuring locals can hire legally. Plus, I don’t see growing these programs as leniency rewarding lawbreaking. We need better trajectories. 

No side gets everything. Hardline conservatives may balk at work programs, seeing them as amnesty by another name. Progressives may argue they fall short of full citizenship paths. Yet, enforcing borders, expanding legal visas, and addressing long-term residents’ status could offer stability. 

Bosque County will not decide this. But as Texans, we can individually decide if we will “let it ride” as is, cling to polarized ideals, or maybe forge a pragmatic future. Once again, I’m not really pushing a specific solution. I simply propose that this topic requires more creative thought and determination than has been applied so far by most Texans. Maybe Texans can influence national policy where the people we care about, including ourselves, are cared for, and where the future is better for all hard-working people of Texas.

 

And beyond this, let’s see what’s next!

J Matt Wallace