Minuteman head praises GOP congressmen
WASHINGTON, July 25 (UPI) -- The head of the Minuteman movement Wednesday praised three GOP congressmen.

Chris Simcox, president and founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said in a statement that he praised Reps. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Peter King, R-N.Y., and Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., "for taking the initiative through House Resolution 499 to enforce provisions of the 2006 Secure Fence Act."

"Border security should begin with the deployment of 20,000 National Guard soldiers and the building a physical fence on our nation's porous borders -- not by offering platitudes about unproven 'virtual' fencing," Simcox said. "Once our borders are secured, we can begin discussions on details about the massive illegal population and interior enforcement, but securing the borders against an ongoing alien invasion and terrorist infiltration must remain the top priority for the sake of future generations of Americans.

"Since October 2002, MCDC border operations have led to the apprehension of over 13,522 illegal entrants by authorities and over 300 people who were rescued in the desert from dehydration, starvation or bodily injury associated with the torturous illegal journey into the United States," Simcox said.

President George W. Bush received a serious political defeat when the bipartisan immigration reform bill he backed was twice rejected in the U.S. Senate. The issue has split Republicans who do not want to alienate the large Hispanic-American community but who also face growing pressure from their traditional constituencies to crack down on illegal immigration and to reject the compromise legislation.

http://www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/B ... smen/6888/