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McALLEN — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein toured the border wall Monday.
Stein said that it was her third time visiting the Rio Grande Valley, an area that she described as “kind of the center of controversy right now.”
Her tour of the border wall preceded a campaign stop at The Gremlin, in which she joined local Green Party candidates Robin Lee Vargas and Eddie Espinoza as they mingled with constituents.
“Why do we have this was my main takeaway,” Stein said about her border wall visit. “There were the gates that were wide open, so it’s clear the border wall is not effective. It’s just clear that this is such a tragic waste of life driving migrants into really dangerous pathways. The border wall is not who we are.”
Stein is in the midst of her third presidential campaign with the Green Party. The last time she was on the ballot was in 2016 when she ran against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
In Hidalgo County, Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, received 1,856 votes, or 1.06% of the total votes in that presidential race. In Cameron County, the Green Party candidates received 822 votes, or 0.89% of the total votes.
During Monday’s visit, Stein took a few moments to speak individually with those in attendance. Shadowed by her security guards, she shook hands and posed for photos.
One of those was Carlos Zamora, of San Juan, who posed for a picture with Stein — both raising their fists in the air.
Zamora, who described himself as Independent, said that he appreciated having the opportunity to speak with the presidential candidate and share his concerns with her directly. He also said that he was tired of politicians who describe the area as a war zone without taking the time to meet and listen to the locals.
“We talked about being from here and the issues that the people that we know and love face when it comes to having to be on welfare because of your job, not making enough money, struggling with getting your papers when you’re trying to bring your family over, stuff like that,” Zamora said. “I got the notion that she agrees for the most part that we do need to be doing more to remedy those issues.”
Stein said more attention needs to be placed on the needs of the community, including health care, affordable housing, quality schools and affordable higher education.
“It feels like people are being thrown under the bus here, like they are in so many communities around America,” Stein said. “This is the norm, unfortunately, but here, because it’s the border, it has all the extra stress of this so-called migration crisis. But that crisis is created by U.S. policy.”
Robin Lee Vargas, an Alamo native who is the Green Party candidate for Texas Senate District 27, served as the event’s emcee. This is her first time running for public office, a decision she said was rooted in her background as an activist.
Her right hand was wrapped in a brace as a result of an injury she sustained while working as a landscaper. She said that she planned on shaking a lot of hands.
“I’d always given my vote to the Democrats, kind of because I was raised on that. You know, my parents voted Democrat, but I’ve kind of gotten tired of giving my vote to promises that are never fulfilled,” Vargas said. “With the Green Party, we kind of are the underdogs. We like to ask the questions that don’t get asked. We’re very environmental and sustainable. That’s what caught my attention with the Green Party, so I’m running green.”
She said that she became disheartened with the Democratic Party due to the Biden Administration’s support of Israel during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“Biden’s administration and his support for Israel really shook me,” Vargas said. “I didn’t really want to support Democrats anymore and the way Democrats handle a lot of laws that come in, and they shut down a lot of them as well.”
Vargas, Stein and Eddie Espinoza, a Pharr native who is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, took to the stage in the patio area of The Gremlin. They led the crowd in a chant of “Sí, se puede,” before taking questions.
Maria Ramos traveled from Rio Grande City for the event. She said that she has voted Democrat in the past, but she was interested to hear Stein’s platform.
“I think she has pretty good ideas,” Ramos said. “Are they doable? Who knows? But it’s really optimistic and a really nice thing to hear from a politician nowadays.”
