Minutemen see success

A local chapter of the Minuteman Project in Herndon plan to begin surveillance of local day laborers and their employers in the coming days and report the findings to federal tax and immigration officials. Two dozen people turned out for the group’s first organizational meeting last week at the Herndon Fortnightly Library, where chapter founder George Taplin sought volunteers and donations. Taplin said those who try to come into the county illegally are robbing those that are here legally of valuable resources and services. A Houston chapter of the Minutemen were successfully in closing down two day labor sites.

“The IRS encourages people to call if they see tax fraud. Well, we're actively going to look for it,� Taplin said. “They've said they can't do it all and have asked for help. We're here to help.�

Minuteman volunteers said they will be using cameras to track the comings and goings at day laborer gathering spots. A new center is expected to open in December and will be run by local nonprofit Project Hope and Harmony with the assistance of a Fairfax County grant. Taplin said the Minutemen will follow workers to their job sites to target those who employ illegal aliens for possible tax evasion. In addition, he said, the group will follow the workers to their homes looking for potential zoning violations, primarily based on the number of occupants. Local Minutemen will not be allowed to carry weapons and will be instructed to avoid confrontations. Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency would accept and investigate information from the Minutemen like it does from the general public.

From anti-immigration and civilian-militia bills that have been introduced in Congress to the countless broken promises by senators. Citizens are just realizing the constant flood of illegal aliens from the southern border and welcoming the Minutemen to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California and endorsing their plan to patrol the state’s southern border. I believe that everyone who wants to immigrate to this country should follow the rules and enter this country legally.

Tightly securing the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border is not very challenging for the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol with the help of the National Guard, and it is absurd to suggest that, something less adequate is the only possible answer. The truth is that illegal immigration is on the rise not only because it is possible to get across our border but also because corporations and employers on the U.S. side of the border continue to rely on, exploit, attract and in some cases recruit cheap and illegal labor. Knowing that there is an employer willing to violate U.S. law and hire an undocumented immigrant only serves as an incentive for illegal aliens to cross the border. To this end, we need to introduced legislation that would impose a hefty fine to employers per undocumented worker.

If anti-immigration groups, such as the Minutemen, are truly serious about stemming the flow of illegal immigration, they should also picket and/or boycott the work sites and employers that encourage illegal immigration by hiring undocumented immigrants.