A union meeting of The Commercial Oystermen of Texas was held on Friday, February 10th at the Bauer Building in Port Lavaca to discuss what the Oystermen say is a case of discrimination against undocumented workers by the local Coast Guard.
The oystermen say they are being impeded while harvesting oysters in the approved areas that are currently open in Galveston and San Antonio Bays. Most areas are still closed due to the outbreak of Red Tide along the Texas coast this year, one of the longest outbreaks the state has ever seen.
But oystermen out in these areas say they have been boarded not only by Texas Park and Wildlife officers doing routine checks but also by Coast Guard officers who are being accused of harassing the workers over their immigrant status.
Coast Guard officials did not have a representative at the meeting despite being invited, but there was a handout, embellished with the Coast Guard seal, which stated that a documented vessel must be owned and operated by a United States citizen. The document also stated that at least seventy five percent of the vessels crew must be U.S. Citizens and/or permanent resident aliens and that no more then twenty five percent of the crew may be working on the waters due to the Immigration and Nationality Act, and that those percentages included the vessel’s master.
The document also gave pictured examples of what documents could be used for proof of citizenship. The list also made note of the fact that a drivers license and social security cards were not valid documents for immigration status.
But union officials and a large number of the oystermen attending the meeting stated that the Coast Guard has gone out of it’s way to find small faults with boats in the approved areas just to be able to board the boats and check immigration papers of those working on the water.
Union member Jose Aguilar believes that the Coast Guard’s focus this oyster season has changed from safety to documentation.
“Right now the Coast Guard is not focusing on safety…making sure everybody on the boats is OK. Right now they are focusing on checking [immigration] papers. The [oystermen] feel threatened right now.”
Another issue facing the union’s members was that the frequent and sometimes lengthy stops are hurting business, tremendously impacting profits at a time when both the Red Tide and a three-thirty curfew for oyster harvesting makes the job even more difficult than usual. One such stop by the Coast Guard allegedly resulted in an hour and half work stoppage, even though Aguilar had the boat inspected by the Coast Guard earlier in the year.
Union President Mauricio Blanco stated that although he cannot speak for the Coast Guard on these issues, he does feel that there has indeed been some possible harassment and that they will continue to press the matter through a letter writing campaign to their Congressmen and other state officials.
The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife explained that their heightened presence on the water on opening day was due to not being able to know how many boats would be out that day. They also stressed the fact that their department is focused on preserving the natural resources of the area, not immigration or alien status, although they do require men working the oyster boats to be able to show a valid ID if they are inspected by the department.
“I realize that there is unhappiness with the Coast Guard,” stated Game Warden Mike Mitchell. “We are primarily concerned with the resource… the bags, the cut off time and the location that you’re oystering in. We are not looking at citizenship status.”
The Dolphin Talk’s representative attempted to contact the Coast Guard for their statement on this matter, but received no response by press time.
Elgio Munoz, Jose Aguilar, Alex Guiterrez. TPWD Game Wardens Mike Mitchell and Philip Bird at the Oystermen meeting.
