U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe and his district aide, Bernadette Polley, walk passed a mannequin dressed as a U.S. Border Patrol agent with a knife in his back on their way to the council chambers at Sierra Vista City Hall on Thursday evening. Kolbe spoke with concerned local residents about several issues, including the guest-worker proposals that he and President Bush have put forward. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review)

Area residents make views known to congressman

By Nate Searing
Sierra Vista Herald/Review
16 January 2004

SIERRA VISTA, AZ -- Congressman Jim Kolbe was met by a crowd of jeering protesters outside his town hall meeting at the Sierra Vista City Hall Thursday, directed into the building through a collection of illegal immigrant garbage strewn about the walkways to demonstrate anger over the local impacts of a porous U.S.-Mexico border.

About 20 protesters were on hand for the event, carrying signs that called Kolbe's and President Bush's guest-worker proposal a reward for illegal activity and an incentive for terrorists to come across Mexico into the United States.

"He (Kolbe) has turned his back on America," said protester Todd Evans, president of the Southeast Arizona Republicans Club. And while Evans said he was not protesting in his official capacity as president, he added, "Many of us believe he (Kolbe) doesn't deserve to be a Republican. We have been betrayed by his ideas."

Among the protesters were about a dozen members of local citizen border patrolling groups, including participants in American Border Patrol, Civil Homeland Defense and Ranch Rescue, each calling upon Kolbe to abandon his guest-worker proposal, jointly authored by Kolbe, Sen. John McCain and U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake. All are from Arizona.

In addition to waiving signs and display illegal immigrant garbage left on private property throughout the county, protesters, which included several children, displayed a mock-up of a U.S. Border Patrol agent with a knife through his back, with the words "Kolbe Amnesty" on the blade, as well as baby doll nailed to a crucifix.

"These policies, letting millions of aliens in America with their drugs, it is just like crucifying our children, destroying our future," said protester Cindy Kolb as she held the mock cross.

After Kolbe's arrival, the protesters spilled in council chambers for the meeting, adding to the more than 150 people already inside.

The meeting was marred by several interruptions from the crowd, including an eruption of applause when American Border Patrol President Glenn Spencer caught Kolbe mid-sentence during an explanation of the guest-worker program to inform him that his citizen patrollers had just located a group of 20 illegal immigrants crossing the border.

Kolbe appeared mildly agitated by the outbursts, but called the public response to the guest-worker proposal "the kind of discussion needed to stir constructive debate in the halls of Congress."

REPORTER Nate Searing can be reached at 515-4680.