Illegal Immigration Activists Accuse Lou Dobbs of Racism

David Edwards and Mike Sheehan
Raw Story
November 12, 2007

 

CNN host Lou Dobbs faced a boisterous protest Monday at a book signing in San Diego, a local CBS affiliate reports.

Activists accused Dobbs of prejudice against immigrants because he supports the controversial Minuteman project, a militia-style group seeking to prevent illegal border crossings. “He is, without question, a racist,” said one protestor at the San Diego campus of the University of California. “He is against the Hispanic people from everywhere, especially Mexico.”

Dobbs took the protest in stride, telling a reporter, “I think it’s great that the university supports the Constitutional right of assembly and free speech.” Yet when asked about the accusations of racism, Dobbs “would not discuss the matter.”

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  1. Eric on November 12th, 2007

    Lou dobbs has too much class to mention this in public but I will.
    His wife is hispanic.
    These ILLEGALS have alot of gaul protesting in our country. What do you think would happen if we protested in their country or protested in our own country on the other side of the issue? At least one night in jail I’m sure.
    Yet our fine government sees no reason to infringe on the ILLEGALS civil rights.THIS NONSENSE MUST BE STOPPED!

  2. Monty Collier on November 12th, 2007

    The battle has nothing to do with race.
    It is the Vatican which desires to flood our nation with Roman Catholics in order to establish an enormous Catholic voting block. Once this is done, they will be able to easily destroy the United States Constitution.
    Catholicism has always been opposed to Democratic-Republicanism. Hitler was Catholic. Mussolini was Catholic. Franco was Catholic. None of these dictators were ever disciplined by the Roman Catholic Church, but they enjoyed the Vatican’s full support. Franco’s opposition was completely excommunicated by the pope.

    Once the United States gives up its sovereignty to the North American Union, the official religion of the North American Union will be Roman Catholicism, just as it is now in the European Union.

  3. Monty Collier on November 12th, 2007

    Even Lou Dobbs has recently demonstrated that illegals will be given the right to vote, should they get driver licenses in New York. Not only will this be voting fraud, but this will create a huge illegal alien voting block, all of which is Catholic. Dobbs has also criticized the Vaticn more than a few times for their role in flooding our nation with illegal aliens.

    Oh, who is that Vatican shill that comes on right after Lou Dobbs? The guy had a show tonight praising illegal aliens who serve in the United States military. Can you believe this nut comes on right after Lou Dobbs Tonight?

  4. Sean on November 13th, 2007

    Okay, just to be clear… EVERYONE who opposes illegal immigration into this country is hereby declared a racist. I just want to be clear about this, because if we’re going to call people racists, we should be consistent.

    Therefore, all countries around the world should abandon their legal immigration laws and procedures, and simply allow anyone to enter their country and immediately become a citizen. Otherwise, they are all racists.

    Just wanted to be absolutely clear about this insanity.

  5. Joe Schmo on November 13th, 2007

    Minuteman are killing and robbing illegals??? What kind of drugs are you on? By the way, they aren’t “migrants”, they are ILLEGAL scum who have no respect for our laws. We should treat them the same way Mexico treats their illegal immigrants from Honduras…shoot them dead at the border!!!

  6. El Derbo on November 13th, 2007

    Monty,

    Why does the Vatican want to flood Europe with Muslims? For a larger Catholic voting bloc?

  7. Tom H. on November 13th, 2007

    Monty Collier,

    Your comments regarding the Vatican and Catholics are baseless with no references to back you up - based on your total ignorance, stupidity, and hatred of Catholics in general. You’re insulting all Catholics with your whacky opinion. You’re to be pitied.

  8. Roxdog on November 13th, 2007

    Don’t make me laugh. Prove your assertions or stop pretending you know what you are talking about. The Minutemen have done nothing wrong. The invaders, on the other hand, have BROKEN THE LAW. I’m sorry you don’t like the law but that is your personal problem. Deal with it.

  9. Tom H. on November 13th, 2007

    Freddy Fatt,

    If you can’t cite sources for your pathetic comments (quote from you: The Minuteman and similar groups are bandits… They live by killing and robbing the illegals, who are most often carrying all the cash they have.) regarding the Minutemen, you’re just as stupid and ignorant as Monty with his pathetic comments.

  10. Pro Freedom Patriot on November 13th, 2007

    The minuteman project is a must. Only illegals would oppose such a tight closing of the borders. Illegal immigrants know they are breaking US law by crossing the borders like this, and they come into this country to break more laws and leech off of the working people. We should have an open season on illegal immigrants with no bag limit.

  11. Jeb Black on November 13th, 2007

    These protesters are crazy, Lou Dobbs wants this country to uphold the LAW. And why do we have minutemen? Because our govt. won’t secure our borders after the worst terrorist attack in it’s history? There is an agenda of a north american union that traitors in our govt. are pushing forward and the only people that will be able to stop it is US, the american people. You can try to play the race card all you want, but this is a matter of upholding the law and illegal immigration is a serious threat to our national security and is a heavy burden on our economy.

  12. rcon1 on November 13th, 2007

    Go Lou, the illegal open borders lobby committed to flooding this country with poor third world peopel will have to get a new slogan other then racist. We Americans want a constitutional free country, not live under the thumbs of dictators ruling over peasants from mexico.

    Speak english, study our constitution and most of all respect our laws like mexicos anti illegal immigration policy it follows. If your in mexico ilegaly, your jailed beaten and deported, if your lucky.

  13. The Hoof on November 13th, 2007

    Freddy are you absolutely insane? These migrants shouldnt even be entering our country. The fact that the government has told our border patrol and national guard to stand down and do nothing even when fired upon is tresonous. What about the numerous occasions when ARMED mexican military has crossed our borders escorting drug dealers as well as migrants and shooting at our federal agents? Anywhere else in the world that would be an act of war, but our government calls it “navigational errors”. This is dog eat dog. These illegals come into our country and get free health care and other free benefits that we pay for. This destroys our economy and drives up the prices of all goods and services. Open your eyes. Im not saying that all the minutemen are saints but at least someone is trying to protect our borders.

  14. f8te on November 13th, 2007

    Unfortunately, I think Lou is a very savvy steamvalve. I agree with most of his points. I also agree that some like Tom Tancredo shroud their own closet racism in the cloak of righteousness which is the border issue. I am not for that at all.

    This issue is wrought with people with their own agenda on both sides. To claim that Lou Dobbs, “He is, without question, a racist,” said one protestor at the San Diego campus of the University of California. “He is against the Hispanic people from everywhere, especially Mexico.”

    I mean good god. How fricken dumb is this person. “Everywhere, especially Mexico.” Yeah he has a special hate taste for mexicans over chileans you frickin moron. Its people like you who totally shatter any shread of credibility the ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION crowd has.

    Lou Dobbs doesnt go far enough though. Why dont you have on Jerome Corsi or Ron Paul MR. DOBBS!!!!!

    Quit shilling for the establishment Mr. Dobbs! You can go further with your investigations and you know it! Get some balls.

  15. Jeff Lindquist on November 13th, 2007

    My wife is Hispanic. She grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. She and I both support Lou Dobbs position. Seems like the real racist are the disillusioned Hispanic protestors that are being used by the global elite to carry out their agenda of creating racial division and chaos. Get a grip amd figure it out!!!

  16. Robert C on November 13th, 2007

    Freddy Fatt said:

    “The Minuteman and similar groups are bandits… They live by killing and robbing the illegals, who are most often carrying all the cash they have. The skirmishes with Mexican authorities early this year when .50cal machine guns were allegedly fired from Mexico, was in defense of migrants who were being stalked by a militia group. Way over Lou Dobbs head that’s for sure”

    Hey Freddy, that’s the funniest thing I have seen in awhile (except for Monty Collier’s comments that the Conspiracy is run by the Vatican). Is this what they tell people in Mexico? I wonder if the illegals who are allegedly stalked and robbed by the bandit group The Minutemen are carrying pesos or dollars as they come across the border?

  17. Joel on November 13th, 2007

    “The skirmishes with Mexican authorities early this year when .50cal machine guns were allegedly fired from Mexico, was in defense of migrants who were being stalked by a militia group. ” - Freddy
    Hey thanks for admitting that the Mexican army provides cover for illegals. Is a white woman racist if she stops a hispanic from raping her??? No, I didn’t think so. But in your fantasy land America is racist for trying to stop Mexicans from raping us.

  18. Jnzn23 on November 13th, 2007

    Isn’t his wife Mexican? What the hell is going on in this country?

  19. WTF on November 13th, 2007

    His wife is racist after all. Interesting that the ignorants ranting about racism don’t even know what they are ranting about. Just like tuna fish in the sea, no individual thought, just swimming till they are caught and eaten. Rights for illegals? I don’t know about you but Mexico won’t allow me to own a house near the beach, let alone run for office. In fact, Mexico wants everyone to come here (I’m Mexican by the way) None the less none of this will change, it will get to a catalyst and brother will fight brother for illusions that exist only in flesh and mind, but not in heart. Rest assured that you cannot take your money with you when you go, nor can you create heaven from money. Free the mind from all mental slavery and polarity. Do not fall for the divide and conquer mentality anymore, live in the now and turn off the tv and doom-sayer sites. Feel love and give love, it’s the only way.

  20. Jrollo on November 13th, 2007

    You dweeb, hitler was not catholic, he rejected catholicism, referred to himself as a perfect pagan & banned religion in germany! What history are you studying? This isn’t a religious issue. It’s an economic issue. People like you hurt the real cause. Stay on the topic, illegals drain the welfare system & are driving down wages.

  21. ron heringhauser on November 13th, 2007

    The illegals must be returned to their country of origin and get in line to apply the legal way; otherwise they are criminals…Period!

  22. Linguistics on November 13th, 2007

    Being Hispanic is not a race; it is an ethnicity. Biologically, there are only 3 races - negroid, caucazoid, and mongoloid. Calling someone an “ethnicist” for wanting to uphold our federal law is ludicrous. Use of the term racist is merely inflammatory rhetoric, along the lines of “anti-semitism” and “homophobic”. But it does seem to work.

  23. Sheeple on November 13th, 2007

    My question to the entire crowd that acts like there is no problem is this,What part of ILLEGAL don’t you understand?
    Here we all are as rightful, sovereign citizens, and WE have to abide by the laws and rules of this country. If we don’t folly the laws then we are held accountable. Correct?
    We need to all band together and make sure Ron Paul is voted in as next US Presiden. If we do not, our future is doomed I’m afraid.

  24. dondonslaughter on November 13th, 2007

    The government is just going to keep letting this debate go on until they can roll out the red carpet on their North American Union plans, which would end the debate, make all illegals legal, provide healthcare for all of us, and slip a chip in our arms just to keep us cattle numbered. Which is the master plan anyways, just remember what U asked for.

  25. Jason on November 13th, 2007

    What you dont realize is that the mexicans dont believe he is racist. That is just the pc term they use to destroy anyone who disagrees with them. What Lou Dobbs should do is address the strategy of these people who want to conquer us by coming here and reproducing. They talk about it on mexican radio stations………they come into our country and waive foreign flags!
    WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! IT IS ALMOST TOO LATE!!!
    THE MEXICANS ARE COMING!!!THE MEXICANS ARE COMING!!!!!!!
    Our army is half way around the world protecting other countries borders.

  26. brandn on November 13th, 2007

    What do they do to illegal immigrants in Mexico that sneak into Guatamala? They put them in prison camps or kill them. So it seems like these illegal immigrants and race card players are just hypocrites or incredibly ignorant!!!

  27. Jacy on November 13th, 2007

    I am a native American Indian. I just laugh whenever I see white people like Lou Dobbs bitch and moan about immigration. In my view, ALL of you are in MY country ILLEGALLY, including Lous Dobbs and his clan.

    White people came to MY America by murdering and enslaving my ancestors. I think every American Indian should stand up agaisnt these racist white people like Lou Dobbs and ask ALL of them to leave America and go back to wherever they or their ancestors came from. At least most people crossing the border are coming here to work and earn a living unlike the white bastards who came here to occupy, enslave, exploit and destroy the native people and culture in the name of Jesus.

  28. Cooper on November 13th, 2007

    My boss is mexican and from what he tells me, getting citizenship the legal way is like a poor person buying a brand new car. A company has to help them (sponsorship, fees, ect). So this is what we have: You can try to become a citizen the legal way by paying, taking the test, and getting a company to sponsor you, or you can just go with almost no consequences. Almost, because thanks to a new law in Oklahoma, it is now a felony to help an Illegal. The thing is, it is just creating more of a police state because OKLAHOMA is not on a border, and you stop a problem at the source, not by kicking one part of it. Police are thicker than molassas here because of that new law and they stop anyone who looks like they might be hispanic, regardless.

  29. Pancho on November 13th, 2007

    The mexican mantra

    All of the laws should be enforced equally, regardless of race, religion, and/or national origin. That is with the exception of mexicans, and they should be above the law and exempt from the law. And the only purpose that a tonto gringo serves is to pay taxes to support the superior and noble mexican.

    Anyone who disagrees with this philosophy is Xenophobic and a Racist.

    Pancho

  30. Susan on November 13th, 2007

    If it is racist to want our laws enforced and the borders secured then call me a racist because that is what I want.

  31. Brian Burkhart on November 13th, 2007

    Anyone who says the Minutemen are criminals is a liar and any further argument they make is mute because their initial assertion fully discredits them.

    Show me ONE link to ONE incident where Minutemen have harmed or robbed anybody!! You can’t becuase it has NEVER happened. Repeating the same junk you have heard other ignorant people say does not make you look in informed, it makes you look stupid.

    I have no problem with people coming here legally. I even think we should shorten the time that it takes people to get in here legally. But NOBODY should ever be rewarded for breaking the law.

  32. A Reader on November 13th, 2007

    There is racism in America, but mostly in hearts of Latinos. They are quick to accuse others of what they paractice themselves. Just look at racist program promoted by one of the prominent Latino organizations, National Council of La Raza. Or should we call them “razists”?

  33. Brian Hamilton on November 13th, 2007

    As with alot of other issues in the U.S.,whenever a caucasian takes a stand that is unpopular with another ethnic group they are accused of being a racist.However it seems perfectly ok for these same people who scream rascism to use racial slurs in describing another ethnic group,especially if that group is caucasian.Do the pro-illegal activists stop to consider the fact that many people who share their ethnicity also share Mr. Dobbs belief that illegal immigration is just that…ILLEGAL.How many illegal immigrants truely love our nation, i’d guess very few.It seems their reason for entering is purely selfish.They curse us,but are all too willing to take from us.Here’s an idea have yourselves a Mexican revolution in MEXICO, and throw off your oppression,like the brave men and women who founded The United States of America did 231 years ago.

  34. Bonnie on November 13th, 2007

    Mexicans hate anyone that doesn’t allow them an easy time INVADING THE UNITED STATES.

    They can’t seem to fix their own Country so they have to shove their way into our Country.
    Like most Americans I am sick of them entering illegally.

    Illegal aliens and their supporters have NO CLASS.

  35. Bob on November 13th, 2007

    Freddy,

    You don’t have a clue. The Minutemen are a law abiding organization of patriots running a neighborhood watch program on our borders, they have never been charged or found guilty of killing or robbing anyone. You might want to get your facts straight. Lou Dobbs is a class act!

  36. meltingPotNot on November 13th, 2007

    “He is, without question, a racist,” said one protestor at the San Diego campus of the University of California. “He is against the Hispanic people from everywhere, especially Mexico.”

    Last I checked illegal is not a race. Mexican is a nationality — not a race. Hispanic is an ethnicity — not a race. So why is he calling someone against illegal immigration a racist?

    Is this gentleman implying that those of his nationality, or of his ethnicity, or of his “race” have some sort of special entitlement to violate our immigration laws???

    Wouldn’t that be considered as racist?? or considered as “nativist”??

  37. J.D. on November 13th, 2007

    I LOVE how the open-border crowd claims that the Minutemen are “killing an robbing” illegal aliens. There’s been absolutely NO deaths or injuries resulting from the Minutemen watch. They are mostly retirees sitting in lawn chairs, waving American flags. Not much of a threat. They’re there to report and they’ll go home once the government starts doing its job.

  38. Bobby on November 13th, 2007

    I see the whole illegal immigration phenomenon as as aspect of one single desire. The desire to fullfill the impulse that is greed. For example, The desire to fill the unmitigated greed of big American business, whether it is the greedy casinos in Nevada in need of slave labor in the service and hotel jobs sector,whether it is the bloated, inept government schools across the nation for whom warm bodies, legal or illegal, means job security for teachers and over paid administrators, whether it greedy construction companies who pave over the most excellent farm land in places like California to put horrible cookie cutter houses in place, for Lord only knows who, etc. Then there is the horrible greed manifested by all the sh-tty little businesses who hire and also abuse these illegal aliens with backbreaking work and poor pay. You know the people. Pool services, lawn services, painting services, masonry services, and on and on. The funny aspect of all of it is that Americans are completely deluded thinking they are saving anything, because the common denominator that characterizes all of the businesses I listed above is that they all pass on the social costs of this so called cheap labor onto the American taxpayer. It is all subsidized labor, friends. The truth is no taxpaying American or legal resident making less than one-hundred thousand dollars a year should have to pay one cent of tax. The rich are getting richer and the middle class is getting poorer and the poor are just being denied their basic dignity, and if you believe massive wage depressing illega immigration has nothing to do with it all..well.

  39. immigrant hunter on November 13th, 2007

    Im hispanic and my family paid their dues waiting on long lines to get here legally. I have one solution to this problem. GET THE MUTHERF*CKERS OUTAHERE. Simple as that. and if any illegal immigrant deuce bag got a problem they can get the hell out this country. I am Hispanic and and American and I DO NOT support illegal immigration. Get the hell out our country already
    RONPAUL2008

    PEACE OUT

  40. Robin on November 13th, 2007

    Lou Dobbs, daily, invites guests who are open border Hispanics on his show. He interviews them, gives them an opportunity to state their viewpoints. Yet, when Lou Dobbs is approached by these same individuals - for example Enrique Morones who advocates for Hispanics only - they shout and call Lou Dobbs a racist. WHO is the real racist?

  41. Bill on November 14th, 2007

    La Raza calls Lou Dobbs raciest!! nuff said…way to go Lou!!!

  42. sean1 on November 14th, 2007

    To be fair we should treat illegal Mexicans like Mexico treats people from other countries who sneak into Mexico illegally! That is put them in work camps for 6 months and then send them home! That’s the Mexican way!

  43. Critter on November 14th, 2007

    Lou is married to Lady of Mexican decent! Case closed! Just shows how they will lie and twist facts for thier Treasonous Cause!

    Pro Patria!

  44. Ramu on November 14th, 2007

    How come all these college kids favor illegal aliens and anarchy. No one has the guts to stick up for the sovereignty of America? BTW, The illegal alien crowd that are calling americans racist. Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black? They’re in no position to call americans racists.

  45. alex on November 14th, 2007

    this is funny that open-border anti-american said that lou dobbs is racist,but lou dobbs is married with a mexican woman(not just mexican decent) she came legaly from mexico and also lou brought her parents from mexico to his own home…
    Duncan Hunter for president

  46. legalatina on November 14th, 2007

    Dobbs is a Democrat ( a, real “for the people” Democrat, not a radical, left-wing, Socialist, pro-open borders, Democrat) AND married to a Mexican American wife for over 25 years. His in-laws live with him too. These ethno-supremacist, Hispanic hustlers who do the bidding for the illegal alien lobby, the Mexican drug cartels and Mexican smugglers need to be deported as soon as possible. Dobbs outclasses Morones and his ilk. There’s no debate about that. Morones is a washed up Mexican without a real job other than to promote hate against Americans, and the principles and laws that make this nation work.

  47. Ty Trig on November 14th, 2007

    the right to assemble, maintain a milita, and defend our borders are all required by our constitution, and legal. the minute-men should be praised they are doing what the federal government refuses to do. maybe it is racism, if it is, its a mute point because they are protected by the constitution, and the mexicans illegals are not.

  48. Tim in little mexico (san antonio) on November 14th, 2007

    Mexico either imprisons or shoots to kill people who try to immigrate on their southern border with Guatemala. It’s not just the Vatican by-the-way, it’s the Jesuits who CONTROL the Vatican…

    I wanna know why LULAC doesn’t try and improve conditions in LATIN countries instead of trying to ‘Latinize’ the United States - Jeez

    I want to know why it’s wrong to call someone a WETBACK, if the shoe fits WEAR IT…

  49. Tim on November 15th, 2007

    For all My. “We the People” Brothers and Sisters who Know, and Understand the current affairs of Globalist Powers/Government sellouts of the People of the USA that are manipulating lives for Power, not just MONEY!But POWER over LIVES!
    Remember to show Mercy if and when You can. If the opposing Haters of the US Constitution even give You the chance. Because they won’t as long as 1 of them walks the earth!

  50. New Patriot on November 15th, 2007

    I just took the time to read some of these comments by the people of this Great Nation of ours, The United States Of America. And it saddens me to know the people are divided and fighting and hating each other, when in fact the globalists and bankers and the rulers in high places are all laughing at us , that is exactly what they want and it seems to be working. Citizens please wake up, don’t you see it…. that is why we need to support our Constitution and make our voices heard in this coming election ….support Ron Paul for President.

  51. Asus on November 20th, 2007

    Are there any US citizens who have big brass?
    We need to form an organization to rid us of
    hatefull,racist,disrespectful,anarchist illegals.
    I am searching for one that is serious enough.
    One that knows that there will be resistance
    from our own gov.,activists,and other misleading,
    anti American groups such as La raza.
    This is our country. We don’t need permission.

  52. Tony Prito on December 5th, 2007

    Lou Dobbs is a racist demagogue. That he is married to a hispanic means nothing. Alberto Gonzalez is hispanic too; and Condoleeza Rice is African-African. Those two support policies that are inimical to most of their people. Lou Dobbs’ fraud and lies were laid bare at Amy Goodman’s DemocracyNow where all his semblance of erudition was exposed as ignorance. I mean if these are the people who Americans see as authorities, I feel so sorry for you. The guy is quack. For you anti-immigrants, you talk about your country? What do you want the native-Americans to say? Moreover, you feel it is your right to invade other countries and kill them and steal from them; yet, ‘yours’ is out of bounds? Your hypocrisy and shamelessness knows no bounds. You are no different from the Pharisees! You snakes!

  53. Trent Sorenson on February 21st, 2008

    Cesar Chavez:

    A Leader for Border Security

    Cesar Chavez, a Mexican American Civil Rights leader, and farm labor activist formed a union called United Farm Workers, which was a union of Mexican Americans and undocumented farm workers, using the strategy of non-violence to better the conditions of farm workers in the Southwestern part of the Untied States. His legacy is legendary, and he is very similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Many of his boycotts were toward big agricultural businesses and were extremely successful in the beginning. Wages increased dramatically and the safety for Chavez’s farm workers was improved too. However, the problem of big agri-businesses, using illegal aliens as workers to break Chavez’s strikes, was always a problem for the UFW. On numerous occasions, when Chavez would go on strike to protest the abuse from agri-businesses, they would use illegal immigrants to break his strikes. These big businesses would always defeat Chavez in latter part of his union’s history, and the United States government would do nothing to help the UFW. It was because of this abuse from big agri-businesses that Chavez became extremely critical of illegal immigration and the employers that abused these workers. History’s record on Chavez’s views on illegal immigration showed that he was an opponent to it, wanting a strict enforcement of the U.S.-Mexican border, so that illegal immigrants could not break the UFW’s strikes.
    In the late 1950s, in Oxnard, California, big agricultural businesses brought over illegal Mexican immigrant workers from Mexico to work in the fields, exploiting them savagely. Chavez was against this, saying: “The Jobs [that illegal Mexican immigrants had] belonged to local workers…Braceros [or illegal Mexican immigrants] didn’t make any money, and they were exploited viciously, forced to work under conditions the local people would not tolerate” (Ferriss and Sandoval 56). Here, Chavez had empathy for what the illegal aliens were going through, but he felt that the jobs they had were for American citizens and undocumented workers that joined his union. The union he ran did embrace anyone regardless of residency, but many illegal immigrants refused to join, trying to make it out on their own as cheap hired labor. He would go on to protest the Bracero program, end the abuse by growers of the illegal alien workers, and secure jobs for local residents. Chavez, on another occasion, spoke out against illegal immigration by testifying to the Subcommittee on Labor of the Senate Committee on April 16, 1969, saying that: “Our potential competition appears almost unlimited as thousands upon thousands of green carders pour across the border during peak harvest seasons. These are people who, though lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, have not now, and probably never had, any bona fide intention of making the United States of America their permanent home. They come here to earn American dollars to spend in Mexico where the cost of living is lower. They are natural economic rivals of those who become American citizens or who otherwise decide to stake out their future in this country. In abolishing the bracero program, Congress has but scotched the snake, not killed it. The program lives on in the annual parade of thousands of illegal and green carders across the United States-Mexico border to work in our fields. To achieve law and order in any phase of human activity, legislators must pay [h]eed to other laws not made by man, one of which is the economic law of supply and demand. We are asking Congress to pay heed to this law in the light of some hard facts about farm labor supply along our southern border. Otherwise, extension of NLRA coverage to farm workers in that part of the country will not produce much law and order. What we ask is some way to keep the illegals and green carders from breaking strikes; some civil remedy against growers who employ behind our picket lines those who have entered the United States illegally, and, likewise those green carders who have not permanently moved their residence and domicile to the United States” (Chavez 8).
    Chavez, knowing economics, felt that illegal immigration made the job market more competitive for American citizens, feeling that illegal immigrants did not want to become U.S. citizens, and that they will always be used to break UFW’s strikes. So, Chavez advocated a strict enforcement of the U.S.-Mexican border (Gutierrez 197). He felt that if this was done, wages would improve for his workers in the UFW, and that illegal immigrant scab labor would not exist because of border enforcement. However, Chavez was not successful in getting the U.S.-Mexican border enforced and big agri-businesses continued to encourage illegal immigration, so they could hire illegal aliens, trying to break the UFW strikes, and ruin Chavez.
    In the late 1960s, corruption in the United States government, the U.S. border patrol, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service caused a growth of illegal immigration from Mexico. Because of this, the U.S. government had to get its act together in the early 70s, passing two laws called the Arnett act and the Rodino bill, making it illegal for employers that hired illegal immigrants, getting support from Chavez and the UFW (Gutierrez 197). Chavez felt that these laws would stop the flow of illegal aliens coming from Mexico, Central America, and South America. However, enforcing these bills would have to happen, and they never were. He even went to Mexico to talk with Mexican officials, trying to persuade them to stop the flow of illegal workers that came to the United States, so they could not be employed as strikebreakers (Etulain 18). This showed Chavez as being a real warrior, having a bull-dog personality on the subject of illegal immigration, doing whatever it took to help the UFW, but his efforts were all in vain. Manuel Chavez, Cesar’s cousin, went to the U.S.-Mexican border one time in Arizona with other UFW members, taking the law into their own hands by attacking illegal aliens trying to cross into the United States (Ferriss and Sandoval 244). This incident was not ordered by Cesar, and, in fact, Manuel was actually ordered to go to Yuma, Arizona, to manage a contract dispute with citrus farmers, proving that Cesar did not know about his cousin’s plan. Cesar was genuinely a peaceful person. However, he defended his cousin, and was criticized for it by Hispanic immigrant rights groups in the U.S. Nevertheless, Chavez’s would try to make peace with Chicano immigrant rights groups, and it proved to be a difficult task.
    Chavez tried to work out a solution with militant Chicano groups over the issue of illegal immigration, but failed in doing so. Jerry Cohen, Chavez’s lawyer, remarked a couple of years after Chavez’s death that: “We [Cohen and Chavez] never worked out a solution with [Chicano] immigrants rights groups…We [Cohen and Chavez] were saying we wanted immigration laws enforced, and that meant dealing with the INS, which is like dealing with the devil…” (Ibid., 243). Chicano activists had a tendency to be for open borders and illegal immigration, Chavez, having empathy for illegal workers too, tried his best to make peace with them, but, the idea of wanting immigration laws enforced fell on deaf ears to all illegal immigrant rights groups.
    The record of history on Cesar E. Chavez on illegal immigration clearly showed that he was against it, wanting immigration laws enforced. He felt that illegal immigration was bad for the U.S. economy and economists will tell people that Chavez was correct. If a country has an extremely large pool of illegal aliens it will prevent legal workers to unionize, having no ability to lead a successful strike for better wages, and improve working conditions. Chavez, as leader of the UFW, fought for most of his career to stop illegal immigration, so illegal aliens could not be hired in America as strike breakers. His views against illegal aliens were purely economic and not racial. He was not against illegal immigration in the racial sense, fighting against it on terms of race would make no sense to Chavez. Nevertheless, illegal immigration continues to go on to this day, getting so out of control that illegal immigrants may become the majority in the Untied States in the future. If only the United States government had listened to Chavez early on, putting pressure on Mexico to stop illegal immigration, they would not have had this problem. However, most government officials still aren’t doing anything, repeating the same mistakes made by past American leaders over the issue of illegal immigration, having learned nothing from history.

    Bibliography
    Chavez, Cesar. Statement of Cesar E. Chavez 1969.
    Etulain, Richard. W. Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography with Documents.
    Ferriss, Susan and Ricardo Sandoval. The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement.
    Gutierrrez, David. Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity.

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  55. Asus2175 on March 29th, 2008

    A TERRIFIC QUOTE:

    “Illegal is anything that is against the law including drug trafficking, smuggling, terrorism or crossing the border into a country. Undocumented is anything that can no longer be verified including unemployed American workers who no longer qualify for unemployment benefits and are no longer counted in statistics. What a sorry nation we are becoming when we allow corporate political correctness to pervade our daily speech. Illegal means illegal.”

    – Peter Romanenko, Waco, Texas

  56. Patricia Maria on December 2nd, 2008

    What part of illegal is so hard to understand, they only play the race card because they have no intelligent argument for breaking the law. I live in California and have seen first hand what illegal immigrants have done to our state. The overcrowded schools, the numerous hospitals which have closed due to the fact they had to treat without pay millions of illegals, our prisons are filled with illegals how much more must tax payers pay before our Nation wakes up.