What the...?
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)
She's right. I don't know any pro-illegal immigration American hispanics. Most really resent illegals for sucking up their tax dollars and giving American hispanics a bad name, and I'm one of those resentful ones. And, *sigh* no, I do not feel it's my DUTY to scream the loudest about this anymore than the next American.
What I believe to be the case when I read his statement and reference to "indigenous mexicans" is American Citizens that are of latino/hispanic/mexican or whatever someone preferes to say, origin. The key here is they are American Citizens. They have features that infer origin other than western European (white).
No, but I'll stand next to you and scream it with you. First we Americans must unite, regardless of our color.
These Minutemen projects are all popping up basically independent of each other. What one state's project speaks and acts may not be the core beliefs for another project. The main thing that scares me about these movements is the lack of guidance from one national foundation. They can evolve into a good group with level headed actions, or one wacko can stray the flock and take the organization in a direction away from lawful and peaceable response.
Rhetoric is circulating claiming the Minutemen projects are racist and show shades of the KKK past. I pray it is merely false rhetoric, but unless there is a national foundation formed and specific chapters for each state with by laws and core beliefs set up, they could easily digress down the wrong path. Humans are funny that way.
And BTW, I believe I have some slang spelling corrections to make. 'padrone' and 'cajones'. :)
As someone who supports the original (Chris Simcox) Minuteman project, I share this same concern. One whacko is all it'll take, and we'll never be able to seal the borders due to political fallout.
"We don't want a bunch of outsiders here," Montalvo said.
But THEY are the outsiders.
They must be mentally disoriented.
What the...?
The reason that immigration is so horrible is exactly what happened in El Cenizo: LULAC and its lap-dog hispanics have been able to make a law in the United states completely favoring itself and without any regard whatsoever for the host nation.
In other words, hispanics have proven that our fear of them is well-founded, that there are many proper and good reasons for wanting them out of here.
all hispanics or just the illegals?
Who does the LULAC think they are? The KKK? You and your kind are not welcome in Laredo?
Amazing. But, typical-
Well apparently your fore fathers had a job mine were eating clay out of a hill side. Have a nice day
Ummm, Henderson....I think you mean to say Mexican Nationals. Hispanic is a term to describe anyone of Spanish, Mexican, or South and Central American (Latino) origin. Many natural born and naturalized American citizens are Hispanic.
There's no reason to fear legal immigrants from Mexico. Many of them come here for a better way of life and work quite hard. Some of the folks of my own color should do so well and get off the government payroll. What is a problem is the complete lack of control as to who gets over here. The n'er do wells looking to hop on fed. entitlements, gangsters, drug dealers, and worse yet, terrorists.....we have no shortage in supply of our own problem population of this sort. We have no business allowing unchecked imports of additional 'help' of this type from any nation.
There is no one here lacking for a job who truly wants to work. .
And just how many Mexicans are allowed to come into the US legally every year (to go live in Laredo)?
Because dumba$$. See that river over there? That is the farking BORDER. If you are coming THIS way across it, then you are doing so ILLEGALLY. If you, your wife, your seven kids, and three drug runners are coming this way at zero dark thirty, chances are you are not coming back from a picknik.
This ain't rocket science and has NOTHING to do with the color of anyones skin.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.