Posted on 04/12/2007 8:08:51 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
A simmering illegal-immigration debate at the University of Texas at San Antonio— where 45 percent of students are Hispanic — erupted into a heated protest Wednesday during an outdoor speech by Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a group of volunteers who patrol the Mexican border to stop immigrants from entering the country illegally.
UTSA's chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas invited Simcox to speak to draw attention to the lack of security on the border, said Laura Morales, the group's executive director.
Liberal groups descended on the Simcox talk, booing and chanting "Racist, fascist go away!" into bullhorns throughout the speech and clashing with university police, who were pushing them away from the stage. The spectacle drew a crowd of about 750 to the university's Sombrilla Plaza, making it perhaps the largest culture clash on campus to date.
Before the protest, school administrators asked protesters to allow Simcox to speak without interference, but they resisted.
"This guy represents hatred and murdering of immigrants on the border," said senior Jonathan Bryant. "We're not just going to sit back and let that happen."
Struggling to be heard amid the noise, Simcox scolded the audience for their behavior.
"Thank God I taught kindergarten for the past 13 years; it helped me prepare for this kind of crap," he said. "What you see here is a vigilante lynch mob."
Police pushed back the mass of angry students, and at least one protester fell , but no one was arrested. When Simcox left earlier than planned, the crowd cheered wildly.
In his speech, Simcox said he believed in immigrants' rights, and that his Minutemen stood watch on the border to rescue the families from dying in the desert. He also called the North American Free Trade Agreement an economic disaster and said Latin America needed to do more to help its citizens.
"We are not haters," Simcox said. "We are trying to solve a problem."
Though Simcox's platform sounded measured, protesters weren't buying it.
"He's racist," said Justin Felux, a member of the Student Worker Teacher Alliance, the group that organized the protest. "It's a continuation of the Ku Klux Klan border watch in the 1970s."
Fliers distributed by Felux's group claimed the Minutemen are linked with white supremacist organizations, a claim that Simcox denies.
"He's not racist, he cares about the border and he cares about America," said Morales, director of the conservative group. "It was the great philosopher John Locke who told us if the government is not providing for you, you have the right to do something for yourself."
Earlier this year, Morales' group gathered signatures to remove the so-called "border crossing statue," a bronze sculpture in the Sombrilla plaza on campus that depicts a family crossing the border. Like the Simcox event, the petition drew more protesters than supporters.
UTSA's isn't the only Young Conservatives chapter sparking controversy on campus. In 2005, members at the University of North Texas in Denton drew criticism for staging a mock roundup of undocumented immigrants. Passersby won a candy bar if they "caught" another student wearing a shirt marked "illegal immigrant."
Morales said she supported the Denton students' effort, but would not do the same at UTSA because it "would not come off as well."
Carla De Leon, a 23-year-old criminal justice major who stopped to read the anti-Simcox flier, said she didn't agree with the civilian border patrols. Her parents both crossed the border from Mexico and are now U.S. citizens, she said.
"I am surprised how they could do this at such a diverse university," De Leon said. "He's lucky that he was born here. Because otherwise he would be going through the same struggles" as immigrants.
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mludwig@express-news.net
Liberalism is a mental disease!
I’m embarrassed that this is my alma mater. Truly.
Diversity ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
It could be worse. I attend UTA and we have this professor who swears that the U.S. stole land from Mexico. We have quite a few professors that are really far left.
“He’s racist,” said Justin Felux..”
What race are Mexicans?
Arlington? Last year we had a news piece about a man who said the same thing. Titled “Forget the Alamo.”
The truth is, Sam Houston asked Santa Ana for the ‘squatting rights’ and they were granted. By the time Santa Ana decided he wanted to renig, Houston et al were ready to die for the right that was given.
“Morales” is a Hispanic name. Ms. Morales is the leader of the College Republican group that brought Chris Simcox to speak. In California, 45% of Hispanic-American voters were in favor of Prop 187, which denied services to illegals. The activists who claim to speak for all Hispanics are lying.
Because they are lying, they must silence anyone trying to tell the truth. And all they can do is call names.
We must somehow learn to laugh at the term ‘racist’ - we know we aren’t - it is just a bad name to throw at someone. Throw one back, just call them a Poophead - because that childish word is on the same level as these brats are displaying.
Free speech for me, but not for thee!
Some of these professors on the tax payer dole promote Azatlan, want we grinos out of their country. Yet there are no crys for removing them for their racial bias and remarks like they are going after Imus! Hear their words here:
http://www.ccir.net/ra.html Samples:
# Armando Navarro at U.C. Riverside “It means a transfer of power......”
# Art Torres’ Outrageous Quotes ...”187 is the last gasp of white America in California.”
# Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo’s Outrageous Remark in Chicago
# ‘Chicano National Guard’s’ Ricky Sierra “It’s Time to Take Back What Is Ours!”
# ‘Brown Beret’s’ Augustin Cebeda at the July 4, 1996 Rally in Westwood, California “...if anyone is going to be deported it’s gonna be YOU!”
# Mario Obledo (California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations) on the Tom Leykis Show “...eventually we are going to take over all the political institutions of California.....”
# Mario Obledo, Co-founder of MALDEF, and Ray Briem “...well if they don’t like Mexicans they ought to leave. They ought to go back to Europe.”
# Senator Hilda Solis’ - Claims that Illegals are Americans “whether we are legalized or not....” Senator Solis is sponsoring an outrageous bill, SB-371, that would give illegal aliens the right to be issued drivers’ licenses in California.
# L.A. News Anchor on ‘Hispanic’ Attacks on Caucasian L.A.U.S.D. Teachers
# Jose Pescador-Osuna Claims Mexico is “Practicing Reconquista in California” (2/7/98). “...even though I’m saying this part serious, part joking, I think we are practicing La Reconquista in California....” “Reconquista” refers to the re-taking of the U.S. Southwest that Mexico lost in the Mexican-American War. Some Mexicans refer to this territory as “Aztlan”.
The ones who gather and scream in favor of invasion seem to be 90%...hispanic.
This was deemed newsworthy?
“He’s lucky that he was born here. Because otherwise he would be going through the same struggles” as immigrants.
Noooooooooo These people “stuggling” to continue breaking the laws of my country are illegal aliens and not “immigrants”
Immigrants dont “struggle” like that. They dont burn the American flag, disrupt the free speech of others, riot illegally in the streets, demand freebies while not contributing, refuse to speak English, teach their children to hate America also....
I’m an immigrant and I would not dream of doing those things...
Also.... these anarchists DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME.....
"Diversity" doesn't inlude ideas or free speech, apparently. The self-righteous intolerance of those who don't want to think.
Yes University of Texas at Arlington. You probably already heard about this controversial professor, I think he is charge of Mexican Studies or something like that. I can’t remember off hand.
Ignacio Ruiz Perez?
What a fool the poor dear is. Chances are excellent his parents immigrated here. Chances are also excellent that they did so within the confines of the law, meaning they had sponsors, jobs, and were found to be disease free.
Does anyone here think the same thing, as it regards individual health, can be said of the current crop of illegal immigrants that she seems to be fond of?
*UTSA ping*
I am surprised the university hasn’t gotten rid of this guy. Some folks on FR may have heard of him this guy, he got into this big debate last year with a speaker over immigration. See my hubby graduated from LSU, LSU had a more conservative environment. But UTA is very much on the left side of the things. We had an issue involving the Vietnamese flag and a host of other little things that let you know what side the university is on.
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