Earlier today, in Don't make hay out of illegal immigration, the Post Bulletin warned politicians not to use undocumented workers as scapegoats in their bids for the First congressional seat.
Now, immigration reform advocate and president of SEIU Local 26 Javier Morillo-Alicea takes Senator Dick Day to task for his recent trip to Arizona in What's a Minnesota politician doing with the Minutemen? commentary in the Strib. He begins with more details about Day's hosts and guide:
In our national dialogue about our broken immigration system, our political leaders have two choices: They either can come together to find solutions that are practical and fair, or they can fuel the flames by appealing to worst in us by creating fear and confusion around the issue. Unfortunately, in his run for Congress, Minnesota state Sen. Dick Day has chosen the latter path.
According to a recent report in the Star Tribune, Day, R-Owatonna, recently traveled to Arizona at the invitation of a group called the Minuteman Project. It's been widely reported that the Minutemen are a group of civilian vigilantes that take the law into their own hands by patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border fully armed, without the official sanction of the United States Border Patrol or local law enforcement. Their members advocate the immediate expulsion of all undocumented immigrants in the country, no matter the effect on our economy and society, and for the construction of a 700-mile-long fence along the border, no matter the cost.
While the Minutemen are treated by some as just another voice in the immigration debate, they have demonstrated that they are an extremist group with no interest in real solutions. It's been documented by the Southern Poverty Law Center that they've attracted racists and hatemongers into their ranks and have spawned a slew of copycat organizations that are even more explicit in their agenda of hate. Witness Dave Bertrand, the Minuteman who hosted Day's personal visit to Arizona and who describes himself as a "culture warrior." Bertrand has posted photos and stories of Day's visit to the border on his website.
Sadly, that's not all you'll find there. Bertrand's blog is also filled with paranoid rants about a supposed Hispanic conspiracy to "take back" the United States for Mexico. He believes that America is on the brink of a civil war brought about by too much cultural diversity. Indeed, just last October, he wrote that Confederate-style secession from the United States "may be a viable solution to avoiding a civil war."
Okay then. Echoing the sentiments expressrd in the PB, Morillo-Alicea concludes:
As Minnesotans, we must challenge our political candidates and elected officials to bring people together to address the tough issues head-on. But so far, Dick Day has shown that he's more interested in dividing us.
As Minnesotans, we deserve better.
Comments