Posted on 04/21/2005 8:54:32 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN BERNARDINO - In the immigration battle being waged at the border, a local network of largely Latino activists is taking a new tack to counter volunteers who are monitoring the border for illegal crossings.
On May 1, the National Alliance for Human Rights will try to "close the border' by persuading those intending to cross over legally from Agua Prieta, Mexico, to Douglas, Ariz., not to do so for several hours.
The strategy "is a notice' to Minuteman project volunteers, who have recently announced their plans to extend their Arizona-border monitoring project for several additional months and to other states, said Armando Navarro, a UC Riverside professor and an alliance coordinator.
"The intent is not just to dramatize the interdependency of the economy and the role the immigrant plays to our economy ... but secondly, (it is) to make sure the pressure on the administration to get off its you-know-what and start moving in the direction of some real immigration reform,' Navarro said.
The preliminary strategy was unveiled Wednesday at a news conference at La Placita Park in San Bernardino.
Minuteman project volunteers said they will not be deterred from their mission.
"We find it somewhat strange that this group would be supporting those whose very first act in coming here is to break the laws of the land,' said Fred Elbel, Minuteman project spokesman.
Business leaders in Douglas said the boycott would have a detrimental effect on both Mexico and the United States.
"The people that they are hurting wouldn't have a role in anything that has occurred. The city, the county, the merchants haven't asked (the Minutemen) to come,' said Larry Blaskey, president of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce. "We know we depend on Mexico as a big piece of our economy.'
Blaskey said that 90 percent of the city's population is Latino and that 40 percent of the city's economy comes from Mexico.
In addition, many residing in the United States go to Mexican pharmacies as well as dental and doctors' offices, he said.
The National Alliance for Human Rights and other groups organized a rally in Agua Prieta and participated in monitoring the Minuteman project earlier this month.
Navarro said he has made contact with Mexican political and religious leaders and immigrant advocates to create support for the plan. The idea to shut down the border came from a woman in Agua Prieta who had concerns about the Minuteman project, he said.
While Navarro and other activists have accused the Minuteman project of racism, project volunteers contend they only want the nation's laws to be upheld and for the nation to be secure.
Some Latino activists, such as the Brown Berets de Aztlan, will be stationed at the Mexican side of the border to advise border crossers to take another route. Others will be there to monitor the situation.
Navarro and others argue that some sort of legalization program would be the best way to resolve the immigration crisis.
"We don't want anything gifted to us,' said Antonio Madrigal Ayala, a volunteer adviser to Mexican citizens who live in the United States. "We don't get welfare. We don't get Social Security, but we hope that in the future, there will be a legalization (of undocumented residents).'
Swing by Home Depot with pick ups<<
Does Home Depot hire illegals, or allow construction companies to pick up workers out front? If so, I have some work to do at our local Home Depot.
Why don't they just convince mexicans not to cross the border for the rest of the year? Wouldn't that really show us? Boy, I bet if we didn't have to monitor the borders for the rest of 2005 we would learn our lesson.
Is it too much to ask that when crossing into the US that you use the roads which are paved already? It would be rude for you to enter your friends homes via a window or A/C duct, yet that is exactly what is happen now which is requiring the Minutemen to patrol the border.
But it is nice to finally see Mexico put some person on the border for any purpose at all. Its the first time I can recall that I've heard of anybody actually going to the border from the other side.
Probably, but it is a politically correct crime, therefore, most likely, none will ever face the music.
take a drive by Home Depot and see all the "day labors" out by the entrence.they see any kind of truck or van and run to it.
The ONLY option at present is to continue to bombard them with letters and e-mails, and refuse to vote for ANYONE who ignores this issue.
Groups like the Minutemen deserve our support. If we were really concerned, we should be down there too. We should have THOUSANDS of enraged Americans along the southern border willing to stop these hordes.
We should have MILIONS of Americans converging on Washington to demonstrate against this, demand those weasels in Washington stop it. Remember the Ukrainians??
Unless we do something to impress upon our elected officials the urgency we demand they extend to this problem, they are content to collect their pay, look forward to their pensons, and thumb their collective noses at us.
We should also support a grass-roots movement to draft Tancredo for President under the Republican banner. Even if he has no real chance, the publicity brought to bear will help the cause.
The other thing we can do is start complaining - loud and often - at the bilingual crap. Even now, if you go to the U.S. Presidential Website, you can sign on "En Espanol"!!!!
Have you walked the fence with the Minutemen?
I know, I have shopped there once. I keep forgetting the Sarcasm thing.
Got a link? Thanks!
I saw the link when I signed on to hotmail. It was one of the headlines on the left, near the bottom. Regret I don't know how to post links...
Another gaggle of Latino troublemakers which ought to relocate to Mexico where their loyalties lie. These are the pukes who run around waving Mexican flags at every opportunity and never miss a chance to badmouth our country and our loyal Americans. I have nothing but contempt for this pack of agitators.
I don't get it either.
Dr. Navarro should just ignore the hype and close up shop for the summer.
...
"The intent is not just to dramatize the interdependency of the economy and the role the immigrant plays to our economy ... but secondly, (it is) to make sure the pressure on the administration to get off its you-know-what and start moving in the direction of some real immigration reform,' Navarro said.
OMG!
Think how much more effective it would be to persuade your fellow illegals to stop crossing over for, say... um... 5 years or so!
I've done everything I can think of, but I still feel like they aren't hearing the American people about this immigration issue. Do they care?<<<<
Obviously not.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is much else that you can do.
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