Sometimes technology is not helpful.
A couple of weeks ago, CU Times began reaching out to credit unions along the Texas-Mexico border to find out if credit unions were being asked to help or were helping with any community needs concerning the Trump administration's "Zero Tolerance" policy on immigration.
Recently, I wrote a column titled "Are We Ignoring a Community Crisis?" That column was based on myself and other reporters reaching out to Cornerstone Credit Union League and other credit unions along the border and not receiving any response.
Apparently, we were sent an email statement from a credit union CEO through Cornerstone Credit Union League on June 20, but we never received it – until Friday, July 6.
On Friday, I was contacted by an official from the league who forwarded me an email, dated June 20, from Jon Gorman, Senior Vice President Communications & Outreach with Cornerstone Credit Union League who was responding to one of our reporters. Unfortunately, no one on our staff had received previously received this communication.
To set the record straight, I wanted to share with you the information from that email concerning statements from Maria Martinez, president/CEO of Border Federal Credit Union in Del Rio, Texas, who explains what her credit union is and is not experiencing regarding the "Zero Tolerance" immigration policy. The following are direct quotes taken from that email:
"I had a phone conversation with the Consul of Mexico in Del Rio, Carlos Obrador Garrido Cuesta, earlier in the week to discuss this issue and the effect it is having in our community. He told me that things are calmed here in Del Rio and that our area is not experiencing a large influx of families coming in through our border at this time. We currently have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Del Rio Mexican Consulate where we provide financial counseling to Mexican citizens living in the U.S.A. Of the people we've counseled, we have not been made aware of any being part of the Zero Tolerance initiative.
"On the operations side, our credit union has not been impacted by the effects of the current administration's Zero Tolerance initiative. Things are quiet here in Del Rio. Our employees are aware of what's going on and there's discussion on this topic among the staff. We are sad that families are being separated and wish that our government comes up with a better solution. The poverty and violence in other countries are always going to be reasons for people to search protection in our country.
"Should the need arise in our area where our help is needed, we are ready to assist. The majority of our staff speaks Spanish and can be ready to volunteer to help with interviewing victims if needed. I'm also aware of several organizations in the U.S. that are accepting donations that will ultimately benefit the affected victims; I'm ready to participate and do whatever we can to alleviate this situation.
"In my opinion, it is very important that we let our elected representatives know that the way these immigrant families are treated should not be tolerated. There's got to be a better way to treat families and keep them together without being inhumane."
I want to thank the staff at Cornerstone Credit Union League and Border FCU for ensuring this communication reached CU Times. If we receive any updates to this story, we will publish those details here.
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
