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Nearly One Thousand People At Capitol Rally


The Associated Press

October 29, 2005

SACRAMENTO -- California's growing divide over how best to secure its border with Mexico was on display Saturday at a noisy, but mostly peaceful confrontation between supporters and opponents of a measure to create state border police.

Nearly one thousand people participated in the two-hour standoff on the west side of the Capitol while more than two dozen police, many of them on horseback, stood between the rival gatherings. Authorities reported three arrests.

While the proposed ballot initiative to create a state immigration police force was the theme of the day, the underlining issue was the role that volunteer citizen patrols - so called Minutemen - are playing along the U.S.-Mexican border.

A San Diego-based group announced last month that it had taken border patrols into its own hands to stop illegal immigrants and drug smugglers form entering California.

"We have a major problem on the border with the illegals," said Robin Gable, 50 of Sacramento. "I'm here to support the Minutemen and our border patrols. You have terrorists, there's drugs coming across. Something has to be done about it."

Gable was one of about 200 people who stood on the Capitol steps to hear speeches delivered by politicians and talk radio personalities in favor of securing California's border and urging voters to sign ballot petitions.

Not far away on the sidewalk stood Tomas Alejo, 30, of Watsonville, Calif., who was part of a counter-protest of about 700 people that marched and rallied in opposition to the border police measure and the Minutemen.

"Our people should be treated with dignity and respect," he said. "We don't believe that people should be dogged if they are from one side of the border or the other. We denounce what the Minutemen are all about."

The proposed ballot measure is in circulation and its sponsor, Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, said he hopes it would qualify for the June 2006 ballot. Haynes said Saturday that his measure would create a state police force charged specifically with enforcing federal immigration laws.

According to Haynes, illegal immigration costs California $9 billion to $10 billion a year in areas such as education, health care and prisons. Creating a state border patrol would cost far less - $250 million annually, he said.

Peter Camejo, an independent vice presidential candidate in 2004, led the counter-protest. He agreed the current system is not working, but said the other side's effort to seal off the borders is wrong.

"The American people need to know that only a tiny number of people are entering illegally," he said. "And these people are desperately needed by our economy. The Minutemen are saying that these people are criminal, but what they are refugees of poverty."

Participants in both events waved flags and chanted back and forth as horns blared and drums pounded. Signs read: "No bosses, no borders," and "Who's illegal Minutemen?" while the other side countered "Secure the border Mr. Bush, you're letting terrorists in."

Dave Kimball, 62 of Sacramento, was drawn into the counter-protest event, but said he was torn over the issue.

"There's got to be a better way of handling all of this," he said. "Both sides have points that maybe the other side would agree with."