http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06 ... _13_07.txt

Bonsall day labor site attracts protests

BONSALL -- Escalating tensions between anti-illegal immigration activists and day laborers on a busy Bonsall corner led to the arrest of an Oceanside man who was reportedly protesting the hiring of illegal immigrants over the weekend.

Day laborers said they have gathered at the corner of Highway 76 and Olive Hill Road for years, but in recent months San Diego Minutemen and other anti-immigration activists have focused their attention on the area.

The Bonsall gas station appears to be the latest in a series of flash points around North County where Minutemen and migrant rights advocates have traded accusations of bad behavior.

Minutemen say the migrants have brought crime to the area, but migrant rights advocates say it's the Minutemen who are disturbing the peace.

San Diego County Sheriff's officials said they have kept an eye on demonstrations for weeks. On Saturday, they arrested Allen Huther, who was identified by sheriff's deputies as a Minuteman, on suspicion of trespassing on property belonging to an Arco gas station.

"He was arrested for trespassing and obstructing an officer in an investigation," said Sgt. Theresa Hyder, of the Fallbrook Station. "He was issued a citation and was released."

Huther could not be reached for comment. No one answered the door Wednesday at an address for Huther.

There are differing accounts of what happened among the Minutemen and advocates for the day laborers. Members of the two groups, who have been confronting one another at day labor hiring sites in North County for about two years, often try to discredit and vilify one another.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of the San Diego Minutemen, said he arrived at the gas station after the arrest. He said Huther was cooperating with the sheriff's deputy.

Claudia Smith, an immigrant rights activist who was there before the arrest, said Huther was verbally taunting the workers.

According to the sheriff's arrest report, employees of the gas station said Huther was videotaping people in the station's AM/PM store without permission, in violation of company policy. Employees told Huther to leave, but he refused, according to the report.

"For the past several weeks, members of the 'Minutemen' organization have been holding demonstrations against hiring illegal immigrant workers," Sheriff's Det. Jeff Lauhon wrote in the report. "I have witnessed members of the Minutemen interfering with the ingress and egress of traffic into the store on prior occasions, as well as get into verbal arguments with various people."

Lauhon wrote that he received a call at about 7:49 a.m. Saturday reporting that a man was being aggressive with the workers. When Lauhon arrived at the gas station shortly after 8 a.m., employees pointed to Huther, who "became defensive" when asked for his identification, Lauhon wrote.

"I don't have any identification, I'm an illegal alien," Huther replied, according to the report.

Employees of the Arco gas station declined to comment. A spokesman for the company said protests create an unsafe environment on the property and are not allowed.

"For us, this is a safety issue and this is an unfortunate incident, but the safety of the public, our customers and employees is our top concern," said Todd Spitler, the company's spokesman.

Schwilk said his group decided to focus its attention on the Bonsall gas station, which is along Highway 76 just west of the agricultural town's center, because they heard that day laborers there were causing problems, such as public drinking and urination. He said his group believes most of the laborers are illegal immigrants.

"We work where there are the most problems with (day laborers) and illegal aliens, and this is one of the worst sites in the county," he said.

On Tuesday morning, several workers who were looking for jobs said that they try to stay out of trouble and are simply looking to earn money. Some said they were in the country illegally and others said they were legal residents.

"We don't come here to bother the customers or anyone," said Heriberto Venancio, 46, who said he is an illegal immigrant. "(Minutemen) are the ones that come here telling us to go back to Mexico."

Day labor sites have popped up around North County for decades. Various cities have adopted ordinances and used law enforcement strategies to remove them.

Most recently, Vista approved an ordinance requiring employers to register with the city before hiring day laborers off the street.

The men who frequent the sites looking for work are predominantly Latino. Some say they are recent immigrants to the country and others say they are looking to make extra money to get by.

"Some of us don't make enough money in our regular jobs to pay for car insurance, car payments, food and rent," Pedro, a man from Guatemala who said he is a legal immigrant but did not want his last name used. "We all have a right to make an honest living