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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\u2019s 100th anniversary.\xa0

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."
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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.

\u201cTwelve 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,\u201d Perryman said.\xa0

Perryman said he also wanted to get on his \u201csoap box\u201d to talk about education.

The luncheon was held at Knapp Conference Center in Weslaco.\xa0

The above podcast focuses on Perryman\u2019s speech.\xa0

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