Posted on 07/15/2005 8:53:45 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
The City of El Cenizo approved an ordinance Thursday night that its mayor hopes will deter the Minutemen Project and drug activity from the city's riverfront park.
"We want to avert a potential showdown," said El Cenizo Mayor Raul Reyes. "We don't want people to come in here and harass our residents."
The Minutemen are a group of civilians who seek to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration; they plan to be in Laredo in April.
Officials with the private group said they would protest any violation of their right to be on public land.
"We'll fight any ordinance they put up," said Shannon McGauley, a member of Texas Minutemen, in a telephone interview. "There may be a challenge up to the Supreme Court to override all these unconstitutional acts."
The mayor echoed concerns by some civil rights groups and elected officials the Minutemen won't 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.
"I don't want people armed with guns coming in City Hall and asking to see citizenship papers," Reyes said. "How can the Minutemen guarantee that they know who is illegal and who is not?"
The new ordinance requires any individual or group pay $700 per hour between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. if they want to stay at the El Cenizo Community Park during those hours.
In addition, no person will be allowed in any public facility, including the community park, after hours unless on official city business or special permission is granted.
Guns are also prohibited on public facility premises.
School and faith-based groups can ask the city to waive the fee and be issued a special permit to stay in the park after hours, under the ordinance.
The mayor said El Cenizo is applying for a $300,000 state grant to fix up the community park, which currently has a large makeshift batting cage with rotting plywood, no paved roads and bleak lighting at night.
"We don't want any trouble happening in there," Reyes said. "We've seen drug activity there as well and the ordinance will help end that, too."
A sign that prohibits guns on the premises will be posted this week, said El Cenizo's new police chief, Juan Alejandro.
The brewing possibility for a legal confrontation between Minutemen and local governments on the Texas border seemed closer with El Cenizo's new ordinance. Laredo Mayor Betty Flores also has said the Minutemen are not welcome on the border.
McGauley of the Minutemen said the group has received calls from concerned residents in El Cenizo area about both illegal immigrants and drug activity.
He doesn't rule out El Cenizo as a watch point, saying his group aims to come to the Laredo area in April, instead of October as previously announced.
The group will start its first mission on Texas soil in the El Paso area in October with 521 Minutemen committed as of this week, McGauley said.
"We demonstrated that we are a peaceful group in Arizona, and I don't think that people opposed to us understand that we're not violent racist," McGauley said. "We just want that border sealed."
Alejandro said he had no problem with a peaceful protest, if that's what the Minutemen want to do. The chief's concern, he said, was that he doesn't want anyone hurt.
"It's dangerous out there at the park at night," Alejandro said. "The Minutemen have all the right to be out there during the day, but no one has any good reason to be out there after hours."
(Francisco Vara-Orta can be reached at 728-2562 or by e-mail at fvara@lmtonline.com)
So instead of cleaning up the gang-bangers and druggies, let's get after citizens engaging in legal activities instead!
Makes you wonder what their real agenda is.
"I don't want people armed with guns coming in City Hall and asking to see citizenship papers," Reyes said. "How can the Minutemen guarantee that they know who is illegal and who is not?"
Does this guy even know who/what the Minutemen are?
Pretty much what the Minutemen and 90% of Americans want too. If you're going to enforce those rules, how about the ones that say "no illegals crossing the border... no illegals on payrolls..." etc etc etc. Or, Mayor Reyes, do your loyalties lie a little further south?
Betty Flores, Juan Alejandro? This is the real problem, and the end result of allowing first, second, third generation, foreigners take over and control American soil.
But they are certainly not the only ones to pass anti-Constitutional laws. There are native Americans that should know better that do the same when they are in power.
Those who support open borders do so out of greed. National integrity and security be dammned.
Of course not. That would be racist.
-"We want to avert a potential showdown," said El Cenizo Mayor Raul Reyes. "We don't want people to come in here and harass our DRUG DEALERS."-
Apparently Reyes doesn't need to pay attention to how well the initial MM project went. Time to replace the Mayor.
El Cenizo Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Do = Does
Scary Criminals trump scary (to the mayor of El Cenizo) Civil Defense Corps.
I think they need to read the first once more.
>>> How can the Minutemen guarantee that they know who is illegal and who is not <<<<
Gee don't you think those who are legal would use the Front Door!
They'd be the ones traveling north over the border with damp posteriors you idiot.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
BTTT...Be Ever Vigilant!
No, we all don't feel that way. You are an American , Mr. Mayor (hope so anyway) You are also A Texan. Act like it .
I have ten little fingers, and they all belong to me,
I can make them do things, would you like to see?
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