Thread: Veterans demand tighter borders

Veterans demand tighter borders
By Amy Boerema
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007



Government officials have pushed aside the needs of American veterans in favor of assisting illegal immigrants, some veterans said Saturday during a town hall forum.

The Aurora event comes days before immigrants and their supporters plan another massive march through Chicago on Tuesday and weeks before the U.S. Senate plans to tackle the topic in May.

Organizers said the forum, hosted by The Illinois Minuteman Project, was held to educate veterans about the issue, urge them to spread the message and contact their local officials.

The government spends more money helping illegal immigrants than on their own veterans, they say, which organizer Rosanna Pulido called “an atrocity.”

“Usually I’m proud to be an American,” she said. “When I hear (that), I’m ashamed.”

About 45 people attended the forum, held in a veteran’s reception hall with seating for 200, prompting speakers to say the room should have been full.

The root cause of illegal immigration is Congress, retired Army Col. Albert Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, who advocates tighter border security, is president and founder of a national group called You Don’t Speak for Me: American Hispanic Voices Speaking Out Against Illegal Immigration.

“This country is yours, and you’ve let it slip away from you,” he told the crowd in a speech that drew applause numerous times.

“You fought for your country once,” he said. “Fight for your country again. That’s what will save this nation. You!”

The media widely reports about 12 million illegal immigrants live and work here, he said, but he believes the real number is between 20 million and 40 million.

“How can we talk about amnesty if we don’t know the actual number?” he said.

He warned veterans of “falling in love” with politicians and urged them to vote.

Another speaker, David Gorak, executive director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, said before the forum that he didn’t wear a uniform and protect America so people could illegally cross its border.

“There is no dignity in breaking the law,” he said.

American society simply can’t sustain the kind of population growth illegal immigrants bring in, he said.

Such quick growth results in rising health care costs, environmental degradation and increased crime, he said.

Gorak said he wants immigration laws to be enforced and favors stiff penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

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Such quick growth results in rising health care costs, environmental degradation and increased crime, he said.

That's just the tip of the iceberg