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Published: September 18, 2006 12:13 pm

National group opposed to illegal immigration

By Derek Spellman
THE JOPLIN GLOBE (JOPLIN, Mo.)

JOPLIN, Mo. — Organizers of a Joplin group that opposes illegal immigration officially launched a recruiting drive on Sunday by holding a meeting that drew about 30 people.

“We are not a racist or hate group of any type,” said Erik VanDusen, the leader of the Joplin chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

Anyone who supports discrimination or bigotry is not welcome in the organization, VanDusen told the crowd.

VanDusen, a 32-year-old retail manager, argued unsecured borders encourage drug trafficking. Illegal aliens without health insurance, meanwhile, put a strain on health care and drive up costs for legal residents, he said.

The national organization of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps has likened itself to a “National Citizens’ Neighborhood Watch” program seeking to stem the tide of illegal aliens.

But Adolfo Castillo, president and founder of the Tri-State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the issue is larger in scope and people need to examine all the factors fueling illegal immigration.

Castillo cited the North American Free Trade Agreement as a factor, arguing that agreement triggered a devaluation of the peso and drove many companies to relocate their factories from Mexico to places like China.

Those lost jobs have not been restored by new economic development, causing poverty to flourish, he said.

Amid that economic climate, many have come to the United States in search of work. Even if immigrants land only jobs that pay several dollars an hour, that still pays far more than they might earn in their native countries, Castillo said.

He argued that the United States should revisit its requirements for citizenship and visas, which can be onerous and take several years for people to complete. Devising a system that is “more friendly, more accessible and more expeditious” for immigrants to become citizens would help curb illegal immigration, he said.

Greg Thompson, director of the state Minuteman organization in Oklahoma and the development director for the national organization, warned at Sunday night’s meeting that porous borders with Mexico and Canada offer a back door for al-Qaida terrorists to infiltrate the United States.

Thompson also called the smuggling of illegal aliens “an absolute slave trade” in which both smugglers and employers prey on poor people.

The smugglers, dubbed “coyotes,” will transport people in cramped vehicles without concern for their health or safety, he said.

Those who cannot finish the journey, either because of illness or injury, are often left in the desert to die, he said. Those who do arrive illegally are then put in a position where they cannot complain about poor working or living conditions.

“This is a national tragedy, and we promote it, we let it go on,” he said.

The Minuteman group thus targets the employers of illegal aliens more than the aliens themselves, Thompson said.

Goals of the organization include identifying those employers as well as landlords of illegal aliens, illegal check-cashing outfits and employer pick-up sites for illegal aliens, according to its literature.



Membership

Nationwide, the Minutemen have 6,000 members, Thompson said.



Derek Spellman writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.