Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- As the approach of Hurricane Rita sent Texas into emergency mode, several of the state's members in Congress declared an emergency for the border region because of illegal immigration.
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Nineteen Republicans and four Democrats notified President Bush in a letter they were declaring a state of emergency for the Texas-Mexico border because "illegal aliens, many of which are 'other than Mexicans' (OTMs), are crossing our border by the hundreds on a daily basis."
The letter was written by Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, and sent late Tuesday. It was released publicly Wednesday morning as Texas coastal residents began fleeing to escape the expected wrath of Rita.