By Steve Taylor, Reporter

HARLINGEN, Texas – Michael Lange, a candidate for Texas Comptroller says he will, if elected, get his office to study the impact of immigrants on the Texas economy.

Lange wanted to draw a distinction between his position and that of Acting Texas Comptroller, Kelly Hancock. 

At a recent luncheon hosted by Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, Hancock was asked if a study by UT-San Antonio Professor Rogelio Sáenz was correct – that the mass deportation policy of the Trump Administration was hurting the Texas economy. To the amazement of some in the audience, Hancock said he did not know because his office does not study the economic impact of immigrants.

Asked if he would study their economic impact, Lange said:

“So, the first thing I said to you is, why do I want to be comptroller? Because I care. How can you not care about the future economy of Texas? How can I understand how economics works, including immigrants, and how much they help Texas businesses? Not just in agriculture, but in the building trades, in the hospitality trades.

“So, why wouldn’t your Comptroller understand the impact of immigrants to Texas on a regular basis? It just shows me that the person doesn’t care. I do care, and I assure you one thing, if I’m allowed to be your Comptroller, not only am I going to understand the process, but I’m not going to sit in Austin. You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to come around Texas on a regular basis and explain to you how your money is being used, what the impact of all these deportations are, and how it’s impacting Texas business, small businesses and large.

“The RGV matters. We need small business here. We need immigrants to help us do the work. It’s crazy that this acting comptroller had no idea or didn’t even care enough. I assure you, I’m the exact opposite. Not only am I going to do studies, but I’m going to show you and tell you the impact of the numbers.”

Lange gave his comments in answer to a question from the Rio Grande Guardian at a Meet the Candidate event hosted by North Cameron County Democrats and held at the La Sierra Event Center in Harlingen. 

Here is a video recording of the interview with Lange: 

here is some text