Immigration: The Other Crack In the Republican Coalition

by DemFromCT

Ever hear of the Minutemen? No, not those patriots from that Blue state known as Massachussetts, the modern vigilantes guarding us from those Mexican folks trying to pick our crops so we can eat. Some reports belittle their efforts but that would take objectivity to do so (i.e., foreign press):

They touted themselves as fearless patriots standing up for the defence of the homeland. Their enemies painted them as dangerous vigilantes who threatened to create a bloodbath on the US-Mexican border. In the end, the so-called Minuteman Project ­ a private, month-long initiative to patrol the southern Arizona border and fend off illegal immigrants ­ has turned out to be little more than an April Fool's joke.

For weeks, the US media has been intrigued by the possibility of a major stand-off in the Sonoran desert, envisioning armies of white supremacists armed with Uzis and Kalashnikovs, gunning down Mexican immigrants trying to make the dash across the sand and brush to a brighter economic future.

Ah, there's the key. Sounds like a made-for-cable event. No wonder, then, that CNN reports the gathering of 480 Minutemen on the AZ-Mex border as if it were a sporting event. Read the two descriptions and see which one is cable, and which is being reported from the UK (hint: the spelling isn't the only give-away, and the Bible college angle is sooo 2005):

Volunteers for an effort to patrol the Mexican border reported their first sighting of suspected illegal immigrants, resulting in 18 arrests, authorities said Sunday.

Participants in the Minuteman Project spotted the migrants Saturday near Naco as the volunteers were surveying the border to familiarize themselves with the area. When agents arrived, they apprehended 18 people, Border Patrol spokesman Andy Adame said.

"You observe them, report them and get out of the way," said Mike McGarry, a spokesman for the project, which begins Monday and is to continue for a month.

The volunteers reported another illegal immigrant after he wandered onto the campus of a Bible college near the community of Palominas, where about 100 Minuteman participants were staying.

The man walked in and said he needed food and water. Volunteers helped him and notified federal agents, who picked him up, McGarry said.

The man was weary from traveling but did not need medical attention, Adame said.

Now, don't miss the philosophy behind the efforts. From the Telegraph:

The Minuteman Project was the brainchild of a retired accountant from southern California, teaming up with a local anti-immigration activist called Chris Simcox.

Mr Simcox has a record of talking more loudly than his actions would warrant. In 2002, he founded a group called Civil Homeland Defence in Tombstone and told the media he was training 600 volunteers to patrol the border. Only a handful showed up.

On their website, there's an obligatory statement (I wonder why it's necessary?) to wit:

The Minuteman Project has no affiliation with, nor will we accept any  assistance by or interference from separatists, racists or supremacy groups or individuals, no matter what their race, color, or creed.

But it takes only a little Googling to catch the next wave of Randall Terryism in the minds of supporters:

"This is a direct challenge to President Bush ," said Chris Simcox , an organizer of what's being called the Minuteman Project . "You have continued to ignore this problem. Our state officials, senators, and congressmen will do nothing. So this is a last-ditch effort to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves."

It actually is a direct challenge to Bush, who has tried to stay out of the way of this issue as much as possible. But just as 'culture oif life' issues drove a wedge between social conservatives and libertarians in the Bush coalition, immigration threatens to do the same with agri-business and anti-immigrationists in an area of the country that is already ripe for Democratic gains  (not necessarily AZ and TX, but  think Montana and points south and west).

Interesting times ahead: the economy may be the coming tsunami, but each and every part of the puzzle will have ramifications in 2006 and beyond.

 

 

Comments

[DemFromCT]

I wonder how much media play this will get in a week.

[KdmFromPhila]

I think there's something about this in both the NYTimes and the Philadelphia Inquirer(Knight-Ridder) . I hope you're right about the cracks. Of course I was disappointed about the election in November (it was on my f--ing birthday, ugh!!). But there was a tiny part of me that said that the party that wins that presidential election in '04 was going to have really diffiuclt time. Thus, I would tell friends "well, at least the roof will cave in on Bush, not us." Your thoughts about the economy reminded me of that.

[Brett Bellmore]

Technically, that's anti-illegalimmigrationists. You'll notice, perhaps, that the Minutemen aren't patroling in front of a legal border crossing? Or reporting people with green cards?

And, by the way, hostility to illegal immigration is so popular, that it's more of crack between BOTH major parties, and the American people, than it is a crack within one of those parties.

[DemFromCT]

You're right that both parties are not monolithic on the issue, but only one's in power, with the chance/expectation/opportunity to pass legislation. In the articles cited abouve, note only Bush is being threatened by Simcox.

[Mike Martin]

If you feel so much the need to give your life to them,maybe you should leave with them.