http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 5106&rfi=6

09/17/2006
Group wants U.S. borders sealed
PHIL ROONEY , Staff Writer

Around a dozen members of the United Citizens of America lined Madison Avenue by Mall of the Bluffs on Saturday afternoon, asking Congress to take action to seal the nation's borders.

Craig Halverson, the group's Iowa leader, wonders why, if President Bush says the United States is at war, illegal immigrants continue to pour across the borders. The group is not just opposed to illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America, he said.

"Our signs say 'borders' plural," he said. "All borders must be secured."

Demonstrators carried signs that said "Our Immigrant Relatives Were Legal," "Secure Our Borders" and "Americans Speak English."

A sign on a truck targeted Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., reading: "You were elected to serve the people of our country Senator Hagel. Enforce the laws."

Hagel has been a congressional leader in calling for the reform of immigration laws.

No counter-protesters gathered at the corner on the south edge of the mall's parking lot, but mall security did attempt to make the protesters leave. Council Bluffs police arrived and informed everyone involved that the protest could continue on the public sidewalk.

Halverson said he had informed city officials about their plans. A telephone message left at mall offices seeking comment was not immediately returned.

"We just want to do a peaceful protest," he said. "So many poor Americans are losing their jobs."

Other concerns centered on national security and the costs of caring for illegal immigrants.

"We don't care who it is. They're illegal, they should be out of the country," Halverson said. "We're not racist."

Halverson said the United Citizens follow the code of the Minutemen, a group that has patrolled the nation's southern border in an effort to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. That code prohibits physical contact with others and encourages them to be courteous and not confrontational.

Halverson said some of those protesting Saturday belong to the Minutemen, and the group is planning a recruiting effort at the Council Bluffs Library on Sept. 29.

A few people who drove by honked their horns and others yelled comments that could not be understood.

"Good job, guys," yelled one woman in a sport utility vehicle as it left the mall parking lot.