Thread: Volunteers recruited to catch illegals in East Tennessee

Volunteers recruited to help catch illegal immigrants in East Tennessee WBIR (Knoxville, TN), May 21, 2005
http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=25845

They work on the U.S border in Arizona, as part of a volunteer army called the Minutemen. Soon, the brigade will be in Tennessee with a mission of catching companies that hire illegal immigrants.

'If people are hiring them, they're usually paid under the table. They're not getting any workmen's comp,' said David Heppler of Arizona Border Watch.


Those behind the effort say volunteers will patrol local businesses, looking for employers that are hiring people who've illegally crossed the border.

The US Boarder Patrol says they've never endorsed the activities of the Minutemen in Arizona, stressing that it's the Border Patrol's job to catch illegal immigrants.

Some in East Tennessee say these kinds of tactics amount to begging for trouble.

'I worry they'll come up here and start some kind of chaos,' says Hispanic activist Luis Crespo.

Crespo fears minority groups will become unfair targets, regardless if they're American citizens.

'Morristown, Hamblen County is blessed because we have people from all over the country, the industries come from around the globe,' said Crespo.

'This is not an Hispanic issue. This is an issue of undocumented workers from any country. Not just Mexico. The problem with the public is that they think United States/Mexico,' said Heppler.

Despite the objections, the Minutemen are moving forward. They hope to have as many as 600 volunteers in just two months.

It's a filthy mess in Georgia & Tennessee. I've seen it with my own eyes. The ILLEGALS that are hired especially by the carpet industry are destroying the little hamlets & towns. Turning into dilapidated areas.