Subject

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Date

Name of the Government Entity

Government – City Officials meeting

Date and Location of Meeting

Feb 11, 2019 meeting held at McAllen, Texas at the Catholic Church of Rio Grande Valley.

Names of Officials in Meeting

City Commissioners

City Officials

McAllen residents

Number of Persons Attending the Meeting

Almost 100 people were in attendance at the meeting.

Issues discussed

One of the major issue discussed in the meeting is the traffic problems and the safety issues that are caused by the massive influx of refugees from Mexico. The Catholic Charities is an organization that helps the refugees in the border of US and Mexico. For a long time, the charity mission has been successful but for the recent days, the camp has witnessed a large number of refugees into the area, and this has seen an influx of people in the Second Street and Hackberry Avenue. The residents have cited a rise in traffic problems and at the same time getting worried of their neighborhood safety, and thereby urging the government to act as fast as possible to curb the situation before it has turned to be worse.

The residents claimed that they were not against the mission of the Catholic Charities in providing help to the immigrants in that every person deserves to be helped when in need. Anyone can be a victim of the situation just like the immigrants but at the same time security of the people is more paramount. Due to a large number of people in the camp, there has resulted in an increase in the number of border patrols, and this has led to more traffic in the area making the roads impassable. Considering that the camp is located at the border, security concerns do arise, and this makes the residents of the area to be worried as Mexico is known to be a source of drug trafficking that is illegal in the United States.

After listening to the grievances of the locals, the county officials gave a 90-day ultimatum to the Catholic Charities to relocate to another place far from the border and at the same time a place of convenience where the immigrants will not be in touch with the locals hence causing alarm. In order to find a better, convenient and a safe place to relocate, the City Commissioners devoted their efforts to assist in finding a new location that is not in a residential area.

The city officials and the city commissioner were a representative of the local government, and therefore their primary role was to represent the government to its people. Texas is a democratic state, and this means that every person has the right to participate in running the government both directly and indirectly. The citizens contribute in running the government indirectly through their contribution via expressing their opinions as well as giving out their grievances to the concerned parties. The county officials act as a representative of the government, and therefore they are mandated with the responsibility of making some decisions that seem applicable according to the situation at hand. For this case, the security of the people, as well as their privacy, was almost compromised and this is the reason that the official’s arrived to the decision of relocating the Catholic Charities camp.

Just like the Texas legislature is influenced by the people regarding policy formulation, the same case applies to the meeting. The residents of McAllen have the right to air their voice on what they need to be changed in the government to make their lives better. The interests of the citizens are paramount because a democratic government must be open to receive the people’s opinion and at the same time incorporate them to the policy formulation.

By the acts of the city commissioners providing a directive that the Catholic Charities relocate within a specified time, it is an indication of how the government work. A considerable judgement that favors all sides is issued such that no party feels neglected as the purpose of the government is to serve all the citizens in an equal way without discrimination. Despite the influx of immigrants into the camps being a matter of state’s security, a slow and effective measure need to be taken involving a collaboration of the relevant parties and to this case, the government, the residents and the Catholic Charities. Through incorporating all the stakeholders, a democratic system is achieved, and this is in line with both the state and the national interests of promoting a democratic nation.

The decisions made by the government may directly or indirectly impact on the citizens depending on the issue at hand. For this case, the Catholic Charities have been affected directly by the decision to relocate as they will have to re-establish their structures again. The residents, however, will slowly realize the impact of the decision, that is after the Catholic Charities have relocated and therefore it is not a direct impact.