Activists say Texas Minutemen causing fear among day laborers

[Desertdog]

Advise on how to overcome their fears; Be in the country legally.

Activists say Texas Minutemen causing fear among day laborers
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3775050



Fear of a civilian patrol group is prompting fewer contractors to pick up workers from Houston corners where day laborers congregate, some activists said.


Workers' fear over the Minuteman volunteers probably led to some day laborers also abandoning their usual corners, and the same concerns caused a day labor organizational meeting Saturday to be closed to the media, according to organizers.


"They're very scared," Maria Jimenez, a leader of the Coalition Against Intolerance and for Respect, said of the laborers in Sunday editions of the Houston Chronicle.

The Minuteman volunteers, a group seeking to reduce illegal immigration, have announced that they will begin "Operation Spotlight" in Houston during October.

Volunteers will watch day laborers and write down the license plate numbers of contractors who pick them up.


Houston police stopped photographing day laborers in July after receiving pressure from illegal-immigrant rights groups.

But some illegal-immigrant advocates concede that the Minutemen might be encouraged to hear they're already having an effect.

"This is already starting," Juan Alvarez, another leader of the coalition, said of the fear. "We can't reverse it."

Such tension is divisive to a community and workers should respond to the Minutemen's arrival in a nonviolent manner, said Francisco Pacheco from the National Day Labor Organizing Network, based in Los Angeles.

"The situation here is becoming more delicate," he said after touring day labor sites Friday.

The coalition organized Saturday's meeting so the laborers could meet with Pacheco, who has worked in areas as Long Island, New York, where conflicts have resulted between residents and day laborers.

Houston is home to an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 illegal aliens, according to demographers.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corp., the national organization, drew attention earlier this year with its patrols of the Arizona-Mexico border. Chapters in Texas plan to patrol the 1,200-mile border area between Texas and Mexico.

 

[Sindawe]

"They're very scared," Maria Jimenez, a leader of the Coalition Against Intolerance and for Respect, said of the laborers in Sunday editions of the Houston Chronicle.

So the criminal invaders are frightened, eh?

GOOD, maybe they will become scared enough to leave this nation and return home.

 

[Sam]

I am happy as can be that they are scared.
Absolutely thrilled.
As Sindawe said, maybe thay will get scared enough to go home.

Sam

 

[walking arsenal]

Agreed

 

[rick_reno]

They won't return home - the likely scenario is if they can't find work they'll turn to crime.

 

[444]

Or some slime ball lawyer will contact them and file a lawsuit on their behalf.

 

[Beren]

This is about to get ugly, but I don't see any problem with what the MM are planning to do. Spotting illegals entering the country and directed BP to them seems like it would have a lower risk of violent confrontation than observing day laborer pickup points and recording license numbers. Hopefully they're discreet and out of sight. Maybe some easily spotted decoys for the day laborers to spot and "chase off."

 

[kbr80]

Activists say Texas Minutemen causing fear among day laborers

GOOD.

 

[longeyes]

"A thousand points of light," in terms of vigilance, is the way to go in a Republic.

Only a matter of time, though, before the plutocrats find ways to cripple the MM movement. No doubt Morris Dees is brainstorming on that right now.

 

[El Tejon]

They could be considered cute sitting out in lawnchairs in the wastelands. However, now the Minutemen are hitting a pressure point--somebody's wallet!

I would anticipate a setup a MinuteMan leader of some sort fairly soon.

 

[Waitone]

What our resident slimeball lawyer just said. Its one thing to scream. It a whole different game to impact profits.

 

[fourays2]

can't have the MM embarrassing .gov like that. unfortunately it'll end in tears for the MM.

 

[Standing Wolf]

"They're very scared," Maria Jimenez, a leader of the Coalition Against Intolerance and for Respect, said of the laborers in Sunday editions of the Houston Chronicle.

There may be hope.

 

[Norton]

It's good they're scared.....criminals should always fear the law abiding citizen.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Ah, we are supposed to be concerned that criminals are worried? WhatEVER. Poor babies.

Illegal immigrant rights? They got it right the second time around--illegal immigrant advocates.

I'm all for transient immigrants earning a lliving--legally. However, criminal is criminal no matter what the sensitivities or needs of the criminal.

 

[Alex45ACP]

Excellent.

 

[beerslurpy]

This is good, and more importantly enough americans support the actions of the MM that many will be wary of using underhanded tactics against them.

If anything I think that a lot of politicians are using them as a trial balloon to determine their response to the illegal alien situation. If response towards the MM is overwhelmingly positive amongst voters, you can expect politicians of all stripes (like Hillary since a year ago) to start beating the same drum.

I dont predict this will end in tears. The minutemen have gone very far out of their way to appear sympathetic and to not do anything unpalatable. I think that anarcho-libertarian political activists (the best categorization I can think of for them) learned from the mistakes of the militia movements in the early 90s in realizing that the image they project to the public is very important.

Projecting an image of "molon labe survivalist gun nut" to potential oppressors is as important as projecting an image of "concerned, fair-minded citizen" to the general public.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

It's about time!! One thing's for sure- This will get very big n' ugly before it calms dowm now.

Especially with states declaring states of emergency over this issue.

 

[longeyes]

I want to believe, like most of you, that the tide is turning and that the MM deserve a lot of credit for that.

What I really believe is that the Minute Men cannot be allowed to succeed. What they represent is about a lot more than just border enforcement and citizenship protection; they represent coherent and cooperative citizen self-powerment and direct political action. This is obviously a grave and serious threat to all the forces of the emerging maternalistic socialist state that requires dependent and docile consumer-drones and a political class that is responsible only to itself.

May I be dead wrong.

 

[Mnemesyne]

Honestly, I'd like to see the MM have sucess with this venture...Let the illegals be scared and with luck, stay the heck in their own countries.....I've got nothing against legal immigration...but the influx of illegals is getting insane....even in heartland states like Ohio

 

[Standing Wolf]

What I really believe is that the Minute Men cannot be allowed to succeed. What they represent is about a lot more than just border enforcement and citizenship protection; they represent coherent and cooperative citizen self-powerment and direct political action. This is obviously a grave and serious threat to all the forces of the emerging maternalistic socialist state that requires dependent and docile consumer-drones and a political class that is responsible only to itself.
May I be dead wrong.

I hope you're wrong, longeyes, but am very much afraid you're right.

 

[JohnKSa]

am very much afraid you're right

+1 Sadly...

 

[wingman]

[QUOTEThis is obviously a grave and serious threat to all the forces of the emerging maternalistic socialist state that requires dependent and docile consumer-drones and a political class that is responsible only to itself.
][/QUOTE]


Once again Longeyes nails it!

 

[Waitone]

Remember how the debate went before the MM did their thing? No, you can't stop the flood. No, there will be violence. No, the flood will just overwhelm them. No, they can't be everywhere at the same time.

One month later the entire debate changed. The political class has been demonstrated compliant in V. Fox's grand design to colonize the US. The MM in particular and vigilantism (in its most positive sense) will have to be either destroyed or controlled.

The reason is quite simple. First, the reaction against illegal immigration into the US is merely American nationalism rearing its head. Nationalism is precisely the opposite direction the ruling class intends to take this country. Second, the same nationalism will become a threat to trade agreement which are being shoved down the taxpaying classes' throat. Either way American nationalism will have to be neutered before it gets too popular.

 

[Joejojoba111]

All you need is a federal agent to go undercover, talk to an MM leader, and make a statement about doing something illegal like killing an illegal.

And if the leader just says, 'umm, that's illegal, we don't do that' he can be arrested for having knowledge of the crime. I'm not sure what it is he has to do to not be committing a crime when the fed trys to trap him, but even if he does everything right and they can't arrest him, that's just 1 day. They can do it over and over until he slips.