Thread: Group gathers to protest illegal immigration in Fort Myers

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07/02/06
Group gathers to protest illegal immigration


The April 10 immigration rally that attracted roughly 80,000 Hispanic marchers to Fort Myers left a bad taste in the mouths of some local residents.

They gathered Saturday to vent their frustrations and to lash out at legislators, illegal immigrants and the media in their own rally on the steps of Fort Myers City Hall. About 65 people turned out for the rally, sponsored by Americans Standing Tall, a Fort Myers group that is pushing for tougher enforcement of immigration laws.

People came carrying signs and banners with patriotic and anti-immigrant messages. Others wore T-shirts with similar messages.

The reason for the gathering was to spread the group's message, said Harold Poole, Standing Tall president. The group wants to see better border protection and better enforcement of immigration laws.

Poole said that, by allowing immigrants to come into the county illegally, the United States was welcoming them to break a number of laws.

"Just tell them come to our country, come in and choose which laws you want to live with," he said.

Borders are so weak, said Naples resident Dave Dyson, that nearly anyone could cross over if he wanted.

"Osama bin Laden himself could come across the Mexican border," Dyson said.

For years, the American public turned a blind eye to the influx of illegal immigrants, said Jason Mrocheck, co-founder of the FIRE Coalition based in Southern California.

The April 10 rally in Fort Myers did a good job of opening the eyes of many people who were not aware there were so many illegal immigrants around, Mrochek said. Americans should not stand by idly while illegal immigrants march on their streets, he added.

"We missed a big opportunity to round them all up on that day," Mrochek told the enthusiastic crowd.

Organizers said they wanted people to understand they were only against illegal immigration. Too often the message is construed as racist by members of the media, Mrocheck said.

Some derogatory T-shirts and shouts from the crowd did focus less on illegal immigrants and more on Hispanic stereotypes, however. The rally was peaceful. Fort Myers police officers were in attendance, but did not report any problems afterward.

As in past anti-illegal immigrant rallies, speakers denounced cheap labor, saying immigrants were taking American jobs from Americans.

"If (immigrants) only work for $5 an hour, that's great for them, but it's killing us," said Mike Jarbeck, Florida director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

Mrocheck echoed some of Jarbeck's comments, saying that Americans would be willing to work any job if they were paid enough. He even told the crowd that he could get President George Bush to mow his lawn for the right price.

As adamant as they were against illegal immigrants, the organizers recognized they could not make a difference on their own.

Mrochek urged the crowd to contact legislators to make sure they vote for tougher immigration laws.

"We need a good ol' political revolt," Mrocheck said. "We need to make sure (politicians) are in office to serve us, not the other way around."

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 20403/1075

Group rallies to protest immigration, amnesty
More than 60 gather at Fort Myers City Hall

By Michelle L. Start
mstart@news-press.com
Originally posted on July 02, 2006

Illegal immigrants living in the United States, border control and proposed amnesty laws brought out more than 60 people to protest Saturday at Fort Myers City Hall.

The rally was organized by Southwest Florida-based Americans Standing Tall. The group was started in mid-April after a rally where about 75,000 people took to the streets of Fort Myers in support of granting amnesty to illegal immigrants who live and work in the United States.

In May, President Bush authorized the deployment of National Guard troops to supplement border patrol efforts while also reiterating support for an amnesty program that allows illegal immigrants living in the U.S. to become citizens and for a guest worker program.

Rally participants said there was already an amnesty program in 1986, and there is no need for another one.

"We're trying to get awareness out," said Bob June, 46, of Naples. "This is not a racial thing. We are not white supremacists. We're mainly concerned with protecting our borders first. You have to start somewhere to stop it. Everybody talks about it, but nobody takes action."

Many of the people at Saturday's anti-immigration rally carried American flags, cardboard signs and bumper stickers that expressed their opposition.

One sign read, "What part of illegal don't you understand?"

Glenice Reed, 59, of Punta Gorda, carried another that said "Deportation. No Amnesty."

"I think our borders should be respected," she said. "Our immigrants should come here legally and have background checks for criminal records, health checks, and they should follow our laws."

Reed said she used to live in Los Angeles and frequently saw fraudulent documentation being sold to illegal immigrants.

She said employers have no way of verifying whether documentation is fake and worry if they refuse to hire someone because of doubts, they will be accused of racism.

"I'm tired of people thumbing their noses at our borders," she said.

Janice Johnson, 68, of Estero, worries illegal immigrants will bankrupt the U.S. government.

"I can see what the future holds for us," she said.

"They are draining us dry financially through Social Security, the schools and the hospitals. We can't handle this and we shouldn't. Mexico should handle their own."

Throughout the rally, participants sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.