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NEW: Minutemen holding ground on Miller boycott

Border watch group snubs beermaker for alleged 'illegal' backing

By Sara Inés Calderón
The Brownsville Herald

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, civilian border watchers out of Arizona, are pushing a nationwide boycott on Miller Brewing Company and all of their products, according to their national executive director.

“We found out that they are very instrumental in financing illegal immigration in different forms,” said Al Garza, a leader in the Minuteman organization.

“They are in fact hiring illegal immigrants,” Garza alleges.

There have been no reports of this activity at any of Miller Brewing Co.'s operations. Original calls for the boycott stem from Miller's reported support of a pro-immigrant rally in Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Sept. 6 that the Minutemen and 9/11 Families for a Secure America, had announced a boycott against Miller for financially backing an organization that supports legalizing undocumented immigrants. Miller also faced boycott threats from immigration-reform groups earlier this year.

A Web site has been set up to support the Miller boycott. Millerboycott.com boasts nearly 12,000 electronic “signatures” for an online petition against the beermakers and phone numbers for boycott supporters to call the company and let them “know what you think about their support of illegal aliens.”

Miller’s official statement on the matter, posted on its Web site, millerbrewing.com, reads in part: “Miller Brewing Company has never supported illegal immigration and we have always supported the full enforcement of current U.S. laws … Going forward, Miller will closely review all requests for support from community and charitable organizations to ensure that we are not indirectly funding or associating our name with advocacy efforts on the immigration issue.”

They close by stating, “We plan to stick to the business of brewing, marketing and selling great beer.”

Still, the Minuteman group is encouraging members to snub the company, their products and get others to join in.

“Even I used to drink Miller Lite,” Garza said. “But not anymore.”

sicalderon@brownsvilleherald.com