A movement that began along the Arizona border has made it all the way to Capitol Hill. The Minuteman Project, which drew national and international attention to the crisis at the border last April, again drew national attention with a rally outside the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 8, demanding Congress take action to deal with illegal immigration.
Rallies and vigils, like the one organized by FAIR in Nashville two weeks earlier, are a growing sign of the public demand for immigration enforcement and opposition to proposals for amnesty and guest worker programs. These events, taking place at the start of an important legislative year, are aimed at convincing the U.S. Senate to protect America’s borders and American workers. Minuteman leader James Gilchrist, addressing members of the Senate, warned legislators that they can no longer ignore the voices of the American people on this subject. “I can assure you that we can move you with our rhetoric. And we will most assuredly move you out of office with our votes,” Gilchrist said.
Addressing the Minuteman rally, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) expressed the views of those who are working to defeat President Bush’s guest worker amnesty proposal. “We are being told that we have to bring more people in from other countries because there are jobs that American people won’t do,” Rohrabacher said. “Americans will do any job as long as they are paid a fair and decent wage.”
Congressman Rohrabacher’s comments echo the message FAIR has been spreading in numerous national media appearances. The tragic coal mining deaths in January sadly dispel the myth that Americans will not do difficult, even dangerous jobs, provided they are paid a fair wage. If American workers are willing to work 12,000 feet underground, it is impossible for President Bush and others to make a credible argument that there are any “jobs Americans won’t do.”
3/06
