McALLEN - The leader of the Texas Minutemen says the only long-term answer to illegal immigration from Mexico is to "do what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan" and seal the border. Al Garza, president of the Texas Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, acknowledged that his group's border patrol operations would not stem the flow of immigrants.
"The long term answer to illegal immigration from Mexico is to do what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan," Garza said. "You have to seal the border by deploying the Army and the National Guard. We need to have a militarized presence."
Garza said erecting a wall between the United States and Mexico, as has been tried in San Diego, would not work. "Walls only deter these people for a while," Garza said. "In the end, they always find a way over the fence."
Garza said the "only answer" to illegal immigration was to dramatically increase the manpower of border patrol operations. He said the number of Border Patrol agents had to be increased substantially, along with the permanent deployment of the Army and the National Guard. "The border is far too porous at the moment," he said.
Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said he was astonished by Garza's comments about creating a militarized border.
"What this guy wants to do is build a Berlin Wall between the United States and Mexico. We can all see this type of brutal communist approach has failed," Hinojosa said. "A militarized border would destroy the trust that exists between the United States and Mexico. It would cause tremendous hardship for our families, our businesses, our economy."
Hinojosa said he was sending a copy of the resolution he offered in the Texas Senate opposing to the Minutemen to all the cities and counties in Senate District 20. The resolution says the Minutemen are not welcome in Texas.
"I have faith in our law enforcement agencies to do their job," Hinojosa said. "The last thing they need is interference from untrained individuals who could ultimately pose serious danger to citizens and immigrants along the border region."
On Tuesday, Cameron County Commissioners Court joined the cities of El Paso and Laredo in passing a resolution opposing the Minuteman.
Garza confirmed that plans to begin Minutemen operations in Alpine, Brownsville, Del Rio and Falfurrias on Friday, Sept. 16 had been shelved. Garza, who was born in the Valley but lives in Arizona, said he would visit the Valley on Sept. 21. He said the group planned to start operations Oct. 1.
Garza said he did not know how many Minutemen would be stationed on the Texas border. "We have 500 men in the system but we do not know how many we will deploy. If it is anything like what we did in Arizona in April, four fifths will show up," Garza said.
Garza said he was disappointed the group's Goliad Chapter had disbanded but did not feel it would weaken the Minutemen presence in Texas overall. The former Goliad Chapter leader had earlier resigned amid accusations of racism in the group.
"I understand the Goliad County sheriff has hired more deputies and the Border Patrol has recruited more agents, so the need for our presence is not so great," Garza said. "Not having a Goliad Chapter will have no impact. It is just a stumbling block. We are standing fast. We're immovable."
Garza said his group would not interfere with a peaceful 'white ribbon' protest against the Minutemen being conducted by parishioners from San Felipe de Jesus Church in Brownsville. Organizer Elizabeth Garcia has said prayer and dialogue are better than fear and division.
Garza said he would not tolerate any "racists or yahoos" in his group. "We stand to gain a lot of ground if we do things right in Texas. Anyone that might embarrass us will be ostracized," he said.
Garza said church groups that oppose the Minutemen are entitled to their view. "They have every right to protest," Garza said. "But I question if some of our opponents are even American. If they are against the Minutemen they are really aiding and abetting a breaking of the law. Are these protestors for illegal immigration?"