In my neck of the woods there has been a lot of running lately...running done by illegal immigrants who have been caught trying to make their way from Mexico to the U.S.
The reason for all of this "traffic" is that close to here is a major artery of travel for those coming from Mexico to Houston, Austin, San Antonio.
It seems like at least once a week now there has been a vehicle caught transporting these illegals.
These events have garnered so much attention and concern from the locals, that today the leader of the
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps came to speak to the residents of nearby Goliad, a town that has seen a lot of this human smuggling recently.
Some want different solution to immigration
June 19, 2005
ROBERT WILCOX
Victoria Advocate
Bennie Martinez doesn't know much about the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, so he plans to change that by attending Monday night's Goliad meeting.
Maritsa Baxley doesn't know the minutemen either but hopes for a better solution to the problem of illegal immigration.
Martinez, of Goliad, is president of LULAC Council No. 21. He hears the stories about the civilian patrols for illegal immigrants and wonders how they will differentiate between Mexican-Americans and illegal immigrants from Mexico.
"How will they tell the difference?" Martinez asked. "I mean, I'm Mexican-American and I look the same."
Martinez doesn't mean to say illegal immigrants have a right to cross the border.
"If it's legal, it's legal - don't do anything wrong," but legal immigration is in the roots of the United States.
"America is made up of immigrants," he said. "If it weren't for them, America would not be what it is today."
Still, he sees the cost paid by illegal immigrants.
"I do have compassion for them who try to enter the country and end up dying," he said. "They have sacrificed their lives.
"LULAC will be watching the activities of the Minutemen and I know the situation will be discussed at our annual meeting this coming week in Little Rock, Ark.," Martinez said.
Baxley, of Victoria, emigrated from Peru 32 years ago. She shares Martinez's concerns.
"They are human beings and need to be treated with dignity," Baxley said of illegal immigrants. "I mean how do we really know why they are coming to the United States. It's atrocious that immigrants pay people to bring them across the border who later abandon them in the desert."
Baxley wants a better solution than civilian patrols to the problem of illegal immigration.
"The government should give visas to people who really need them," she said.
I have to say I'm a little worried about this group.
Why? Just as the gentleman mentioned in the article above, how are they going to tell me apart from the rest of these illegal immigrants? As part of my job, I travel a lot on these backroads, and make frequent visits to the town of Goliad. If I were to be stopped by these people, what rights would I have? Say I refused to show them my ID, what would they do to me?
Even though members of this group say they are non-violent, it doesn't make me feel better when I read this:
Courtesey of www.kavutv.com
In fact, public records at the district clerk's office in Tuscon, Arizona, revealed Simcox was found guilty in January of 2003 of carrying a loaded firearm on national park property and of knowingly giving false information to a federal park ranger...both misdemeanor federal violations.
Court documents report that Simcox was at the Coronado National Memorial when National Park Ranger Deborah Girard approached. According to the court documents, Girard said Simcox had a radio and a global positioning device. She also testified she found a handgun in Simcox’s waistband even though she stated she had asked three different times if he was carrying a firearm, to which he answered “no”.
What will become of this? Only time will tell, and you can be sure I will keep you updated.
CJ at 6/20/2005
Comments:
Cindy-yeah, maybe their intentions are in the right place, to protect themselves and their property, however it seems that this group incites hate and fear more than anything.
Bastards! I feel like going over there to harrass them. Anyone up for it? Maybe we can blast some Maldita o la lupita...I have always wondered whether their problem is "illegal immigration" or a perceived "mexicanization" of the U.S. southwest. Either way we're here to stay!
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