Podcast: Perryman: Undocumented immigrants taking Americans' jobs? Are you kidding me?

WESLACO, RGV - Ray Perryman says Congress should put politics aside and pass comprehensive immigration reform.The Texas-based economist was keynote speaker at a Weslaco 100 luncheon recently. The luncheon was one of a series of events held to celebrate the City of Weslaco’s 100th anniversary. In his remarks, Perryman spoke about the economic conditions of Weslaco, the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and the United States. He also spoke about international trade and the imposition of tariffs on imported goods.Noting that one in six dollars-worth of U.S. exports originates in the Lone Star State, Perryman said: "When you mess with trade, you are messing with Texas." The award-winning economist also made a strong plea for comprehensive immigration reform, arguing that more immigrants are needed to grow the nation's labor pool.“Twelve million people work in Texas, 1.2 million are undocumented. There are less than 500,000 unemployed people in Texas. Some people say, all they are doing is taking jobs from Americans. Are you kidding with me? We would be 700,000 workers short if we did not have that workforce tomorrow,” Perryman said. Perryman said he also wanted to get on his “soap box” to talk about education.The luncheon was held at Knapp Conference Center in Weslaco. The above podcast focuses on Perryman’s speech. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.