Posted on 07/17/2005 6:57:44 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
The Laredo-area League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) are urging City Council to create a city ordinance to deter the Minutemen Project as nearby El Cenizo did so last week.
"Texas LULAC does not wish to belittle the Minutemen Project," said Estela Quintanilla, director for LULAC District XIV. "But we oppose the project because it employs tactics against immigrants … and tends to breed racism."
The Minutemen Project, a nationally organized group of citizens aiming to stop illegal immigration on the U.S. borders, already has two active groups in Texas with one mission in October in the El Paso area.
One group, Texas Minutemen, has set its sights on the Laredo area for April.
El Cenizo approved an ordinance last Thursday night that its mayor hopes will discourage the Minutemen Project and drug activity from the citys riverfront park.
"We want to avert a potential showdown," said El Cenizo Mayor Raul Reyes. "We dont want people to come in here and harass our residents."
Shannon McGauley, a Texas Minutemen spokesperson, said the El Cenizo ordinance infringes on gun rights in Texas and the group will investigate the ordinances lawfulness.
"In a way, the ordinance makes us want to go out there even more so," McGauley said.
Saturday morning, area LULAC councils issued a joint statement vowing to fight the Minutemen Project on the Texas-Mexico border.
Quintanilla said the Minutemen are taking the law into their own hands, creating an anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic atmosphere.
LULAC State Director Roger Rocha said LULAC will push for an ordinance similar to El Cenizo to be approved by the council in the next few months and meet with the local ranchers association to address their concerns.
In addition, they are meeting this weekend with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar to ask for support on working with Austin on statewide legislation.
Governor Rick Perry has said the Minutemen can operate as long as they dont break the law.
In Laredo, however, they may already have some support on the council.
Mayor Betty Flores has publicly said that the Minutemen are not welcome in Laredo.
"Laredo is where we are because of the immigrants," Flores said last month in a phone interview. "I dont believe the Minutemen belong in Texas we can take care of our own."
LULAC officials echoed El Cenizos concerns that the Minutemen wont be able to tell the difference between an illegal immigrant and an El Cenizo resident, many of whom are first-generation Mexican-American or are recent immigrants living here legally.
"How can they distinguish if Im illegal by just looking at me?" Rocha said.
One longtime LULAC member, Chelo Montalvo, said she thinks the group has racist undertones.
"They dont have a right to tell us what to do," Montalvo said. "We dont want a bunch of outsiders here."
Texas Minutemen organizers have said they are composed of different ethnicities, including some Hispanic ranchers, and are a peaceful group.
"We will not be confronting anyone crossing. Thats Border Patrols job," McGauley said. "All we are is an extra set of eyes for the Border Patrol. We believe in following the law and think every else should, too."
Ultimately though, both LULAC and Texas Minutemen agree that more Border Patrol agents need to put on the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We need real, trained law enforcement individuals," Rocha said. "But I dont see the need for a Minutemen Project to do so."
(Francisco Vara-Orta can be reached at 728-2562 or by e-mail at fvara@lmtonline.com)
Seems to me that the city wants an unconstitutional ordinance.
Looks like someone has a crack pipe addiction. At worst, it is an issue of ethnicity, not race. "La Raza" is absurd. In truth, it is a matter of national security...not whether skin pigmentation is pink, brown, purple, or polka-dotted.
Discrimination is a word that was coined to intimidate people out of there right to defend their way of life. When one Discriminates that is all one is doing is protecting his way of life. Bottom line if you want to have anything decent you must discriminate.
>> "But we oppose the project because it employs tactics against immigrants … and tends to breed racism."
As far as I am aware there are many "immigrant" minutemen, I have heard of no "tactics" employed by the organization against them.
They oppose the Minutemen because they employ "tactics" against "illegal immigrants". "Tactics" that appear pretty effective at keeping them out of the country.
"El Cenizo approved an ordinance last Thursday night that its mayor hopes will discourage the Minutemen Project and drug activity from the citys riverfront park."
Notice how he attatched drug use to the minutemen?
Maybe LULAC and it's supporters better get hurrying Souf' to get across the border to Momma's house before it gets closed down!
Laredo LUALC Ping!
How about League of Un-American Latin Citizens?
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
2 things will eventually happen:
1. anti-minutemen protestors will incite a media incident that will be exploited by the democrat-controlled tv.
2. hillary will dispatch any republican attached to this issue by yellling "racist".
it would behoove the minutemen to increase their ranks by indigenous mexicans and blacks.
No, what tends to breed racism is the illegal invasion of this country by Latinos, and the indifference of their respective governments to our sovereignty.
Unfortunately our own Freeper open borders contingent has already adopted those tactics.
Does this mean that Governor Rick Perry has said the illegals can operate as long as they continue to break the law???
Follow the money ..who has the most to gain by turning the USA into a central american third world country dominated by Mexican illegals...
Those who know the language
Those who are of the race and culture
Will be the new patrones...
Serfs up dude...
imo
This equates to "If your neighborhood suddenly became crime ridden, and the local town council passed a law forbidding you from locking your own front door."
1. They're trying.
2. She'll try, but the vast majority of Americans are on the side of the Minutemen.
3. Membership in the Minutemen is not determined by race!
Have the hispanic supremicists at LULAC similarly denounced a presence of MS-13 there? The criminal invaders? No!?? Well, why not? Hmmmm....
They are doing more to advance the Minutemen Project than a million bucks of advertising could do.
They'll just wave their magic wand and years of leftist race-based political indoctrination will just fall away and blacks and hispanics will join the Minuteman Project by the thousand.
Meanwhile the Dallas morning news carries a story about FBI concerns about a terrorist plot on the Texas border. (by way of Tallahassee)
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/nation/12150883.htm
Theres just such insanity surrounding the border and security issues. I can't forget the sight of our elected representatives in DC running, screaming in panic because a small plane was too close to DC. Yet they vote against anything that strengthens our borders and protects American citizens.
They are not telling them what to do, they are telling them what not to do, that is allow illegal immigrants into the country.
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