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Texas

Uplifting the voices of Texas businesses, employers, and associations to expand the labor market and the economic potential of immigrants through bipartisan immigration reform solutions.

Texas

About ABIC in Texas

ABIC Texas, also known as TBIC, works to create positive, sensible, and responsible immigration policies.

We bring together Texas’ business leaders, and local, state, and federal lawmakers who support common sense immigration reform that addresses the needs of our high- and low-skilled workforce and our state’s more than 1.7 million undocumented immigrants, including 204,000 DACA-eligible Dreamers.

Our State Director in Texas

Juan Carlos Cerda
State Director, Dallas, TX

Juan Carlos Cerda

Juan Carlos Cerda is a DACA recipient, the Deputy Campaign Director for ABIC, and the Director for the Texas chapter (TBIC). Prior to joining ABIC, Juan Carlos organized immigrant communities at the Texas Organizing Project and taught kindergarten through the Teach for America program. He was also an ambassador for fwd.us, a bipartisan political advocacy group working for immigration and criminal justice reform, and currently serves on the Bishop’s Immigration Task Force for the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Juan Carlos graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2015. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife.

What We Do

ABIC Texas

Elevates the participation of business leaders with long histories of helping to shape Texas and who are known to local and state lawmakers.

Mobilizes its coalition of 100+ CEOs, associations, and donor class members to protect the rights of immigrants. For example, the coalition crushed efforts to repeal the 20-year-old in-state tuition access for undocumented immigrant students and won Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s support for federal stimulus checks for 291,000 US citizens in mixed-status families living in Texas.

Convenes virtual and in-person roundtables and press conferences with statewide university and community college presidents, Texas Latino businesses, and border mayors, county judges, business leaders, and members of Congress to promote immigration reforms, such as a permanent solution to the DACA program.

Coordinates the Texas Opportunity Coalition (TOC) together with the Texas Business Leadership Council, the backing of Senator John Cornyn, and over 100 businesses, associations, and higher education institutions

News & Updates

Read the Latest News & Commentary

June 14, 2023

Dallas Morning News: How to keep Texas competitive? We need to allow more immigrant workers

June 2, 2023

News 4 San Antonio: Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales set to visit Socorro and meet with local leaders

June 1, 2023

Border Report: Migrants can solve U.S. labor shortage, business leaders say

Steering Committee Members

Eddie Aldrete

Eddie Aldrete

Owner, Aldrete Strategic Partners
Jim Baron

Jim Baron

CEO, Blue Mesa Grill

J.R. Gonzales

J.R. Gonzales

Executive Vice Chairman, Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC)
Glenn Hamer

Glenn Hamer

CEO, Texas Association of Business
Curtis Harrell

Curtis Harrell

President and CEO, Citation Oil and Gas Corp

Brenda Haupt

Brenda Haupt

Owner, Globe Products
Woody Hunt

Woody Hunt

Senior Chairman, Hunt Companies
Adam Lampert

Adam Lampert

CEO, Cambridge Caregivers

Stan Marek

Stan Marek

CEO, Marek Family of Companies
Regina Montoya

Regina Montoya

CEO, Regina T. Montoya, PLLC
Dennis Nixon

Dennis Nixon

President & CEO, IBC Bank

Marvin Odum

Marvin Odum

Former President, Shell Oil Company
David Pfaff

David Pfaff

CEO, Plastronics
J. Michael Treviño

J. Michael Treviño

Executive Advisor, Trevino Consulting Group

Chris Wallace

Chris Wallace

CEO, North Texas Commission

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