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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Minuteman organizing to 'protect' borders far from Mexico line Minuteman organizing to 'protect' borders far from Mexico line Travis Reed SALT LAKE CITY - Wally McCormick never really thought that at age 68 he'd become a political activist. But there he was last month, outside a suburban bank with about 100 people at a protest he helped organize for a cause he says he's prepared to die for. This particular action targeted banks that allow illegal immigrants to use identification cards issued by the Mexican government to open up accounts. Others are planned for businesses and even the state for allegedly hiring undocumented workers. For McCormick, a Utah Minuteman organizer, it's always about illegal immigration, which he blames for the spread of new diseases, booming crime, unemployment among American citizens and crippled social welfare systems. He says he'll keep doing it "until America is safe again and back in the hands of its citizens." McCormick is one of a handful of Utah men who participated in the national Minuteman Project's April action stationing citizens on the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona. He and others have zealously brought the Minuteman Project home, with a Utah chapter that he said drew about 50 people to each of its first two meetings. It's an issue gaining steam nationally, and organizers say they'll have 14,000 to 20,000 border guards at an upcoming patrol in October. For McCormick, that zest extends to Utah, which has no international border and is 500 miles from Mexico. Even so, he told a reporter his group is prepared to shut down Utah's more than 1,400 miles of state borders "if it comes to that" to enforce immigration laws, though no firm plans for such action have been made yet. "The first thing they do when they walk over that line down there is they break a law," McCormick said, referring to the illegal entry itself. "Why are we giving them all these benefits when they're all criminals? That's aiding and abetting." Tony Yapias, a community activist and former director of Utah's Office of Hispanic Affairs, said the group is fabricating numbers to scare people. "Because of the color of our skin, they have targeted us. They're not targeting Asians. They're not targeting Europeans or Canadians," he said. McCormick said he's been called a bigot and vigilante, but insists all he wants to do is protect the country from what he sees as its single greatest threat - not immigration, but illegal immigration by undocumented workers who absorb medical and other benefits while collecting tax-free wages off the books. State Rep. Duane Bourdeaux, D-Salt Lake City, said everyone had a right to First Amendment expression, but he worries the immigration rhetoric will inflame racial tension. "If these groups are continuing to grow, it's going to divide our community," he said. Since returning from the Minuteman border watch, McCormick and other organizers have staged protests and lobbied the Legislature and state officials, hoping to keep the issue squarely in the public eye. Gary Cole, operations manager for the national Minuteman Project, said Utah's chapter is one of the most active so far. That makes sense, he said, because illegal immigrants crossing the border "are in Salt Lake City two days later." Marc Rosenblum, a political science professor specializing in immigration at the University of New Orleans, likened the Minuteman trend to earlier political movements of the last two centuries when citizens complained about an invasion of unskilled workers who didn't speak English. "I think the real motivating factors that inspire the Minutemen and others ... are much more cultural than economic," he said. McCormick is careful to stress he has no personal grudge against illegal immigrants and his group won't tolerate members who are racist or hot-tempered. He said he can't blame migrant workers for seeking a better life in America, and faults the federal government for not keeping them out. "We left the door open for them," he said. McCormick expected only about 40 people to show up at his new group's protest against two banks that accept matricular consulate cards issued by the Mexican government as identification. He was pleasantly surprised when more than 100 people came. Yapias was at that protest, and said he was shocked at how some participants boiled the issue down. "He says to me, 'Your government in Mexico.' I'm thinking, where on my face does it say I come from Mexico? I'm from Peru," he said. "They are totally ignorant, and they should spend a little more time studying our culture." The Utah Minuteman have a broad list of legislative priorities, including repealing in-state college tuition rights for illegal immigrants who went to high school in Utah. A Republican-dominated committee agreed with the change last month, meaning it's likely to be introduced when the full legislative session convenes in January. McCormick also wants the state to require a Social Security verification process for workers of Utah companies, among other things. McCormick spent about a month at the most recent legislative session trying to learn the system before the Utah Minuteman group even existed. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind a few months back. He so fully believed he would die on border patrol in Arizona that he made a will before he left. McCormick has one simple goal from his newfound activism: "I want every person in Utah that is a citizen to say, 'Yes, I want to be a Minuteman.' " And McCormick says he's befuddled everyone else in the country isn't as furious as he is. "Why don't they want to stop it? Why aren't people asking that question?" he said. "'Why won't you close the border, Mr. President? Why won't you put National Guard on the border?' " --- On the Net: Utah Minuteman: http://www.utahminuteman.com Minuteman Project: http://www.minutemanhq.com Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs: http://ethnicoffice.utah.gov/
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