Laredo Morning Times - Cuellar invites C-SPAN to broadcast live from Laredo

News Article

By Unknown

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, announced Friday that C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," the live, national, call-in program, will air live next week from Laredo on June 1 and 2 at his invitation.

Immigration and trade will be the topics of discussion for the featured guests, which include a live interview with Cuellar and host Greta Brawner as well as a taped interview with Mayor Pete Saenz.

"Congressman Cuellar and other guests will have an opportunity to show viewers the reality of the border, dispelling negative perceptions and educating the country on the safety and trade-based prosperity of border communities like Laredo," a news release states.

The program airs live from 6--9 a.m. CST on Channel 21 on Time Warner Cable.

"I thank Greta and the C-SPAN crew for accepting my invitation to Laredo to learn and share with their viewers the positive influence that trade that passes through Laredo has on the rest of the country," Cuellar said. "Next week's broadcasts will showcase the powerhouse that is the Laredo port of entry, with its five bridges and 14,000 trucks crossing over every day. I would also like to thank the City of Laredo staff for helping coordinate on-the-ground interviews with local officials."

The first day's programming will be broadcast from Gateway to the Americas Bridge, and will focus on the issue of immigration. That day's show will begin with phone calls from viewers around the country about immigration policy while showing live shots of bridge I and air parts of an interview filmed with Saenz in April.

"Our hope with these interviews and the presence of national media in Laredo is that the rest of the country will get a true understanding of the border and border issues," Saenz said. "It is up to us to dictate that conversation and not let anyone else misrepresent Laredo and the border."

Other guests for the Wednesday program include:

Brandon Darby, managing director and editor for Breitbart TX, to talk about legal and illegal immigration in Laredo
Nelly Vielma, local immigration lawyer, who will discuss practicing immigration law in the area and laws on the book related to citizenship and deportation
Alfredo Corchado, author and Dallas Morning News Mexico City bureau chief, to talk about the cartels in Mexico, including the violence and smuggling of humans and narcotics. Corchado, a Mexican-American journalist, wrote "Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness."

The next day, Thursday, June 2, the show will be live from World Trade Bridge, focusing on the all-important topic of trade. The show will begin with a live shot of the World Trade Bridge, where 6,000 trucks cross the U.S. border from Mexico every day.

Guests for Thursday's program include:

Cuellar on how trade benefits Laredo and the country
Lynn Brezosky, trade reporter with San Antonio Express-News, who will begin the conversation about the flow and volume of trade across the Laredo border
Bob Cash, state director for Texas Fair Trade Coalition, who is a critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement

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