Thread: Glichrist Angels on CNN

WHITFIELD: Three southern California women are taking the fight over illegal immigration into their own hands. They're call Gilchrist Angels. They named themselves after Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, and you'll find them at sites where day laborers congregate.

They are Robin Hvidston, Eileen Garcia and Deborah Sattler. And they're in our Los Angeles bureau to talk about their mission.

Good to see you, ladies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Eileen, let me begin with you. What is the mission and why did you guys get together? EILEEN GARCIA, "GILCHRIST'S ANGELS": Well, we came together because we're concerned about enforcing our immigration laws. And what we do is we gather at day labor sites and we document those employers who are picking up day laborers, because it is a crime to hire anyone, whether they're legal or not, without filling out the proper form and paying payroll taxes.

WHITFIELD: So you're not concerned as much of the fact of whether they have the proper papers, whether they're here illegally or not. You are just trying to attack the whole notion of any employer picking up day laborers, period.

GARCIA: Well, we feel that they are breaking the law, and we're here to say that we would like for our laws to be enforced, our current laws to be enforced.

WHITFIELD: And so, Deborah, there are other groups around the country who are doing something very similar. And, you know, they are taking photographs of the employers, the license plates, et cetera. Is that the extent that you are all going? And at the same time, are you actually approaching some of the day laborers to find out if they have proper papers, if they are residents, et cetera?

DEBORAH SATTLER, "GILCHRIST'S ANGELS": As a general rule, no, we don't approach the day laborers. I think there's sort of a de facto case that someone who stands on the street corner and doesn't speak the language and is being illegally hired has a greater chance of being here illegally. And there's actually a study done at UCLA that confirmed that 80 to 90 percent of the people that stand on the corner for day labor are, in fact, illegal aliens.

But we tend not to focus on them. We tend to try to focus on the employers, the people that are picking them up, because ultimately, the system doesn't work for anybody. It doesn't work for the people that are hiring them or for the people being hired, because they don't have the proper protection that they deserve in this country either with regard to workers' comp benefits and other benefits.

WHITFIELD: So, Robin, who's the real target here? You are targeting specifically the employers in which to embarrass them, or you're targeting the day laborers?

ROBIN HVIDSTON, "GILCHRIST'S ANGELS": On site at our rallies, we definitely target the employer. We have signs focused on the employer. For example, signs that say, "Employers exploit day laborers," because that is what our issue is about.

We feel like employers are, indeed, taking advantage of these workers, many of whom are in our country illegally. And we are at the day labor centers to say to the employers, stop.

WHITFIELD: So you think you're also working as advocates of the day laborers? Is that your contention as well?

HVIDSTON: You know, in a sense, we are working for anyone in our country being abused at a workforce. And we feel like it's the employers that are allowing this to go forward, and we're saying to the employers, do not hire at day labor sites. Use manpower agencies, obey the law.

WHITFIELD: So, Eileen, what happens next? You document that there are employers coming to pick up day laborers. You take the photographs. You put them on a Web site in which to let everyone know what kind of activity is taking place. But then what?

Are there actual charges filed? Are there fines paid? What's the result?

GARCIA: Well, we do take the employers' pictures and their license plate number. And if we can get their contractor's license number from their truck, we'll post it on wehirealiens.com. Others can go on to that Web site and they can look to see when they're going to hire a contractor whether they're hiring a contractor who is abiding by the law.

We do send letters with the evidence to the IRS and to the state contractor's board and other agencies in hopes that they will take some action against these employers.

WHITFIELD: So, Deborah, what do you say to those who are saying you all are harassing people and that you are also -- the actions that you're carrying out, at least the words of some of your critics, that you are actually advocating hate by targeting -- by targeting primarily these immigrant workers, whether they're illegal or not?

SATTLER: The situation that's created in our communities with these day labor sites, I mean, something needs to be done about them. It's unfortunate that we're in the position that we're the ones that have to do something about them.

I know that one in my community, it has grown to where there's probably 200 men standing there most of the day. They're drinking. They're littering. They're urinating in public, they're buying alcohol from minors, they're dealing drugs.

It's just become almost a gang issue in my community. So...

WHITFIELD: And your group has claimed also that it has led to the deterioration of school grades in your community. That somehow this is impacting the livelihood or the advancement of your children in school?

SATTLER: I don't know so much about school, per se. I know that the area where this goes on where I live, the kids can't go there. They can't utilize those businesses. They can't walk by on their way to school.

There's those kinds of situations. Then, like I said, the day labor center near where I live is right by a liquor store. And a lot of the people complain that they're buying alcohol for the minors as they're going back and forth to school.

WHITFIELD: So, Robin, what next for your group? HVIDSTON: What next for our group? We will continue to go forward with this issue. We also are focused on other issues.

For example, we have also held rallies outside of our senator and Congress member's office. Day labor sites is one area that we focus on, but we also focus on our elected officials. We attend city council meetings and plan to go forward with those plans.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right.

From right to left, Robin Hvidston, Deborah Sattler and Eileen Garcia, thank you so much.

The Gilchrist Angels are joining us from Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Brave ladies!