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Opposing sides meet separately at an Inland university and at a Las Vegas event.
By SHARON McNARY / The Press-Enterprise
May 29,2005

Polar opposites in the increasingly angry debate over immigration met in separate events Saturday, agreeing only that they will face off mid-summer on the California-Mexico border.

Founders of the Minuteman Project joined a who's who among anti-illegal immigration activists in Las Vegas at the boxing-themed "Unite to Fight Illegal Immigration Summit" hosted by the Las Vegas-based Wake Up America Foundation, whose motto is "It's your country, take it back."

At the same time, about 100 activists who favor granting legal residency to many of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants met at UC Riverside to plan a response to the Minuteman Project's proposed August volunteer border watch. Their event was titled: "La Tierra es de Todos" meaning, "The Land is Everyone's."

Speakers at both events predicted increased tensions between their respective political movements, following violence at confrontations this month in Baldwin Park and Garden Grove that left people injured on both sides.

In One Corner ...

The politically conservative Las Vegas crowd, expected to draw 500 to 1,000 over its weekend run, featured Murrieta Republican Assemblyman Ray Haynes promoting his state border police initiative.

Friends of the Border Patrol leader Andy Ramirez of Chino spoke about plans to post volunteer sentries on the California-Mexico border in August. The original Minuteman Project drew several hundred volunteers who watched a segment of the Arizona-Mexico border in April.

The UCR event drew students, union activists, attorneys, civil rights advocates, communists, socialists and a member of Union del Barrio, a group that says the southwestern states were stolen from the Mexican people and should be separated from the United States.

Uniting Factor

The older attendees at the UCR meeting predicted the Minuteman Project would galvanize Southern California's Latinos into renewed political action similar to the 1994 campaign against Prop. 187, which would have denied government services to undocumented immigrants.

Younger activists like Alex Rico, 23, of Riverside, agreed. The UCR senior who heads the Chicano student group Mecha said his group rejects the idea that Latinos will assimilate into U.S. life by giving up their language and culture.

He sees the Minuteman Project as racist and anti-Latino. He said he was hurt by anti-Mexican taunts in elementary school and is appalled to hear similar attitudes today on popular talk-radio shows.

"That's why we fight so much for this illegal alien issue. That's why we're so passionate about it," Rico said. He predicted tense confrontations if Minuteman Project volunteer border watchers patrol San Diego.

"If they come to San Diego there will be a big response," Rico said.

Security Concerns

In Las Vegas, Minuteman Project co-founder Chris Simcox described the problems of illegal immigration to about 250 people gathered in the Cashman Center in downtown Las Vegas.

"It's not just about poor immigrants coming to work," said Simcox, president of Minuteman Civil Defense. "It's about the world knowledge that our government can't stop drug dealers. It doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence that they can stop resourceful terrorists."

Simcox told the crowd that his group, which he said numbers 15,000, is committed to securing the nation's borders and will continue to plan actions in California and in states along the Canadian border until the federal government begins military patrols.

A Matter of Race

Outside the anti-illegal immigration summit, about 200 Hispanic protesters chanted "racists go home" and waved American and Mexican flags.

Simcox dismissed claims his group was racist, saying the border issue is one of national security and public safety and that those caught at the border represent dozens of nationalities.

"I don't care what color your skin is, what language you speak or where you're from, if you are breaking into my country illegally, that's unacceptable." Simcox said.

He defended his philosophy as pro-immigrant, mentioning recent deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona.

"There is no reason human beings, regardless of where they come from, should die horrible deaths," Simcox said.

Latinos are on both sides of the issue.

In Riverside, Guillermo Flores, a Los Angeles construction contractor, attended the Riverside event with his family to see his daughter, a UCR sophomore, present her findings on migration patterns of women. He said Minuteman Project participants cannot stop people from crossing into the United States from Mexico, as he did in 1988.

"It's like they want to scare the people," Flores said.

But the perception that national security is compromised by lax border controls drives other Latinos to the anti-illegal immigration movement.

In Las Vegas, Minutemen Project participant Michael Leon said he has endured strong criticism from within the Hispanic community, but felt compelled to join the group after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"It's security for me," said Leon, who said he's been called a traitor to his race. "I love my community, but I love my country more."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Sharon McNary at (951) 368-9458 or smcnary@pe.com.