There's a Forbes/AP article about the Mexican government program which involved distributing maps showing highways, rescue beacons and water tanks in the Arizona desert. That program got a lot of attention in recent days, and according to the article, the Mexican government decided to suspend it. Here's a quote:
Miguel Angel Paredes, spokesman for the federal Human Rights Commission, said the government wanted to "rethink" its plan because human rights officials in border states expressed concern that the maps would show anti-immigrant groups - like the Minutemen civilian patrols - where migrants likely would gather.
"This would be practically like telling the Minutemen where the migrants are going to be," Paredes said. "We are going to rethink this, so that we wouldn't almost be handing them over to groups that attack migrants."
"Groups that attack migrants?" Oh those Minutemen! They are so mean. Vigilantes, they are. Aren't they? That was the drum beat a few months ago, but no matter how hard their detractors tried, they just couldn't come up with the facts.
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. is a group of disciplined volunteers who have been very successful in their efforts to focus attention on illegal immigration. They have very strict rules, and safety -- for everyone -- is of utmost importance.
Some of the people opposing the Minutemen were chortling about the El Paso Times headline: "Minuteman sent home for aiding immigrant". But they completely missed the point. The Minuteman rules say that there should be no contact with anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, and the man in the article broke the rules and was sent packing.
There is good reason for the "no contact" rule. The coyotes trafficking in human beings are committing felonies, and there is no telling what they might do to avoid arrest -- these aren't angels of mercy.
But the Minuteman Project has stuck with its goal, and that is to raise awareness of the immigration problem and get the existing laws enforced. To have unfiltered entry into the country is simply dangerous.
There's a movie showing at the Sundance Film Festival titled "Crossing Arizona" with a sympathetic treatment of immigrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally. See reviews at Variety.com and Rottentomatoes.com.
Who can't sympathize with someone whose only crime is that they want a decent job? And some of those people trying to immigrate had to make some real sacrifices in order to get into the U.S. In a perfect world the Mexican economy would be so strong that no one would want to leave. But due to an inefficient and corrupt Mexican government the economy there is incapable of handling workers who want jobs. And with an open border policy we are aiding and abetting that corruption and inefficiency.
Well, if it's only honest people who want jobs then let's do it in an orderly fashion so that we can know who comes in and try to keep out criminals.
It's not just people looking for jobs. Look at what's happening in the border towns. There appears to be a narco war going on in Nuevo Laredo. And just the other day some armed men in Mexican military uniforms had a confrontation with deputy sheriffs in Hudspeth County, Texas. See this AP article at KHOU.com for details.
And Sterry Butcher's story in the Big Bend Sentinel said that the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. issued a statement, to wit:
"The incident is under investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection is coordinating closely with the appropriate federal, state and local authorities. ... The U.S. government is also discussing the matter with the government of Mexico and is asking for a thorough investigation and response."
Well now that should solve the problem. And what is the Mexican government's solution? Oh that's easy. Simply hire a public relations firm to smooth things over and improve its image in the U.S.
That's great. I'll sleep much better once I've seen a few high quality tv commercials telling me how wonderful the Mexican government is.
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