Anti-illegal immigration group draws controversy
By Tina Irgang • Capital News Service • November 1, 2009

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WASHINGTON -- Brad Botwin has been called an extremist and even a Nazi.


Others say he is an asset to the discourse on illegal immigration in the state, and Botwin himself maintains he is merely a concerned citizen asking questions about how the government spends his taxes.

In just two and a half years, Help Save Maryland, the anti-illegal immigrant group Botwin founded, has grown from a small protest movement in Rockville, Md., to a statewide organization with volunteer coordinators in almost every county. The organization protests at day labor centers, attends public meetings, publishes a blog and sends out regular newsletters. Botwin said Help Save Maryland counts roughly 2,000 members and organizes its protests and appearances mostly by e-mail.

Illegal immigration is likely to become the subject of contentious national debate in coming months, as Congress is expected to take up immigration reform after finishing the current health care reform effort. Representatives from both parties have said reform must address illegal immigration and make sure visa quotas align with employer needs.

But Botwin said his group is ready to fight reform.

Help Save Maryland was founded in response to the opening of a day labor center in Gaithersburg in 2007. Botwin said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett built the center contrary to popular opposition.

"He just took it upon himself to plop it on county land without any public hearings," Botwin said. "This was an egregious act on his part, and that just prompted me to start this group."

Patrick Lacefield, a spokesman for Leggett, said, "It's a free country, and we understand that they think what they think, but basically our feeling is that in Montgomery County, we value our diversity, we value our immigrants."

Help Save Maryland garnered national attention this spring when Alabama-based nonprofit The Southern Poverty Law Center listed it among "nativist extremist groups," a category that stops short of the label "hate group," which the center gives to overtly racist organizations.

A nativist extremist group, Southern Poverty Law Center spokeswoman Heidi Beirich said, is usually an "aggressive anti-immigration group."

"They're not necessarily groups going out and using slurs," Beirich said. "But these are organizations that don't debate policy -- they don't lobby their legislators or have what we would call a civil and democratic debate. They're people that get in the face of immigrants and confront people rather than legislators."

Botwin, who is Jewish, said he views the listing as an "anti-Semitic act against me."

"We're not radicals. We are all tax-paying, working American citizens, all walks of life, every ethnic group, every nationality, we've got them," Botwin said. "We are just questioning what our elected officials are doing with our money on this issue."

Among Help Save Maryland's most active members is Steve Berryman, a coordinator for Frederick County. Berryman writes the group's blog and is a regular contributor to other regional blogs.

The Help Save Maryland coordinators, Berryman said, "act as a communication nexus. We will pass along information about protests or speaking opportunities on e-mail chains, which are sometimes different by region."

Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins has spoken at several events organized by Help Save Maryland. The group, Jenkins said, supports his participation in 287(g), a government program allowing local police to enforce federal immigration laws. Frederick County is the only participating jurisdiction in Maryland.

Help Save Maryland also cooperates with People for Change in Prince George's County, a predominantly African-American organization that lobbies for government accountability. The group describes itself as nonpartisan, but it has expressed strongly conservative positions on issues.

"The black community is really picking up on the illegal immigration issue," Botwin said. "When I told some of the members of People for Change that Prince George's Community College was running a training program for illegal alien day laborers, training them to be construction workers, the report back from the crowd was 'we don't see very many black construction workers anymore.' "

Deirda Hill, director of PGCC's marketing department, said the college checks immigration status for all students who take classes for credit. If a potential student does not seek credit, the college asks only for a local address.

Help Save Maryland's ire is mostly directed at immigrant advocacy groups such as CASA de Maryland and Identity Inc. and, by extension, politicians who support them.

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