As Immigration Crisis Grows, A Protest Movement Gains Steam

By Kirk Siegler
Thu July 17, 2014



In Oracle, Ariz., on Tuesday, protesters gather near the entrance to a juvenile facility in an effort to stop the arrival of a busload of Central American immigrant children. The bus never arrived.
Matt York AP
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Anti-illegal immigration activists are planning several hundred protests in cities across the country on Friday and Saturday, part of a growing backlash against the federal government's efforts to temporarily house migrant children detained at the border.

Protesters say they are concerned about safety, as the Obama administration pushes to move detainees from Texas to shelters run by nonprofits in other states.

This week outside the southern Arizona town of Oracle, Marla and Bruce Bemis — along with several dozen of their neighbors — were lined up along a road waving American flags and holding signs, as patriotic music occasionally played in the background. Word had come that the federal government was planning to bring some of the detainees to a local academy for troubled youth.

"You know it's a shame that they're kids, if they're kids, but I guess their parents didn't care that much to send them on that journey to here," says Marla Bemis.

There's often an undercurrent of suspicion at protests like these. Most of the asylum seekers crossing the Texas border are kids without criminal backgrounds. Nevertheless, the Oracle protesters pledged to stand in the road to stop the buses, just as others did earlier this month in Murrieta, Calif. In Oracle, the buses didn't turn up.

One of the organizers of this movement against the government's plans is William Gheen, president of the North Carolina-based Americans for Legal Immigration PAC.

"We're the good guys and gals in this equation," says Gheen. "We're the American defenders that are standing with the current Constitution, the existing federal laws, and the current borders of the United States that are in peril here."

Gheen says protesters are relying on "whistleblowers" — people who work for federal agencies who have learned where the detainees are being sent.

Social media are also playing a big role in planning for the two days of nationwide protests that begin Friday, ranging from demonstrations in front of Mexican consulates in California and Arkansas to waving flags on highway overpasses in North Carolina.

"Then in November, we're going to throw so many illegal immigration or immigration reform amnesty supporters out of office, mostly Democrats, it'll make your head spin," Gheen says.

While there's a clear, larger political agenda at play, many protests are also being fueled by a resurgence in anti-federal-government sentiment noticeable in some parts of the country.

Still, not all of the opposition is coming from conservatives.

A bipartisan group of governors has expressed concerns about costs to states, the health of the children who are arriving, and whether Congress and the president will come up with a long-term plan.

And then you have local officials, some of whom say the federal government and its lack of communication aren't helping the situation.

Jeff Stone is chairman of the county commission in Riverside County, Calif., a large, suburban county east of Los Angeles. Murrieta is in the county, and Stone, a conservative Republican, is one of the local leaders who inspired the protests there.

"We still don't have communication from Border Patrol, whether there's going to be immigrants coming or not coming," he says. "We don't have any communication with ICE. So it's just been very disorganized."

Stone says his county was prepared to handle a couple of hundred migrants — any more than that would put a strain on local governments that are already struggling to provide services for residents.

"Listen, you can't blame these immigrants for trying to take their children and go someplace where they're not oppressed and not threatened by gangs and that such," he says. "You certainly cannot blame them for wanting to find a better life in this country."
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Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Across the country, several hundred protests are planned for tomorrow and Saturday. It's all part of the backlash against efforts to find places to hold migrant children detained at the border. Many of the children are trying to enter through Texas, and the Obama administration is pushing to move them to temporary shelters in other states. The protesters say they're concerned about safety, as NPR's Kirk Siegler reports.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Go to a local protest against the movement of immigrant detainees, and you can bet you'll find people like Marla and Bruce Bemis. The couple has no shortage of concerns about the sharp rise in Central American minors trying to get into the U.S..

MARLA BEMIS: Oh, boy. Come on, Bruce.

BRUCE BEMIS: Health, diseases, you know, criminality.

SIEGLER: This week, the Bemis's and several dozen of their neighbors were lined up along a road outside the southern Arizona town of Oracle, waving American flags and holding signs. Patriotic music occasionally played in the background. Word had come that the federal government was planning to bring some of the detainees to a local academy for troubled youth.

M. BEMIS: You know, it's a shame that they're kids, if they're kids. But I guess their parents didn't care that much, to send them on that journey to here.

SIEGLER: There's often an undercurrent of suspicion at protests like these. Most of the asylum-seekers crossing the Texas border are kids without criminal backgrounds. Nevertheless, the protesters in Oracle pledge to stand in the road to stop the buses, just as others did earlier this month in Murieta, California. In Oracle, the buses didn't turn up. But it was the latest showdown in what's become a growing backlash against the federal government's plans to temporarily house migrants in states outside Texas. One of the organizers of this movement is William Gheen. He's president of the North Carolina-based pack Americans for Legal Immigration.

WILLIAM GHEEN: We're the good guys and gals of this equation. We're the American defenders that are standing with the current Constitution, the existing federal laws and the current borders of the United States that are in peril, here.

SIEGLER: Gheen says protesters are relying on so-called whistleblowers to coordinate - people who work for federal agencies, who've learned where the detainees are being sent. Social media is also playing a big role in planning for two days of nationwide protests that begin tomorrow, ranging from demonstrations in front of Mexican consulates in California and Arkansas, to flag waving on highway overpasses in North Carolina.

GHEEN: Then, in November, we're going to throw so many illegal immigration or immigration reform amnesty supporters out of office, mostly Democrats, it'll make your head spin.

SIEGLER: So there's a clear, larger political agenda at play. Many protests are also being fueled by a resurgence in anti-federal government sentiment in some parts of the country. Still, not all of the opposition is coming from conservatives. A bipartisan group of governors has expressed concerns about costs to states, the health of the children who are arriving and whether Congress and the president will come up with a long-term plan. And then you have local officials, some of whom say the federal government and its lack of communication isn't helping the situation.

JEFF STONE: We still don't have communication from Border Patrol - whether there's going to be immigrants coming or not coming. We don't have any communication with ICE. So it's just been, you know, very disorganized.

SIEGLER: Jeff Stone is chairman of the county commission in Riverside County, California, one of the large, suburban counties east of Los Angeles. Murrieta is in Riverside County, and Stone, a conservative Republican, is one of the local leaders who inspired the protests there.

STONE: Listen, you can't blame these immigrants for trying to take their children and go someplace where they're not oppressed and not threatened by gangs and that such. You certainly cannot blame them for wanting to find a better life in this country.

SIEGLER: Stone says this county was prepared to handle a couple hundred migrants. But any more than that would put a strain on local governments that are already struggling to provide services for residents. The coordinated protests, which include several in Murrieta, begin earlier tomorrow morning. Kirk Siegler, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR,

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