Waving homemade signs and American flags and shouting slogans, about 100 supporters of the Minuteman Project came to the U.S. Capitol to complain about unrestricted illegal immigration.
“If it’s war that the political government wants,” said founder Jim Gilchrist, “then we will give them a fight.”
A day earlier, Senate leaders reached a deal to revive a bill that could give a large portion of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. a chance to become citizens. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make felons of the same illegal immigrants and those that aid them.
Members of the Minuteman Project wound up their 13-city tour on the lawn of the Upper Senate Park, carrying signs like “Only Traitors want Illegals to Stay,” “Love the USA? Stop hiring illegals,” and “Invasion is not immigration.”
The gathering was minuscule compared to the crowd of 150,000 pro-immigration demonstrators that marched on the Washington Mall last month.
Gilchrist warned that if the Senate bill becomes law, 200 million immigrants would move into the United States within the next 20 years.
“It would be a literal tsunami,” Gilchrist said. “It would be like Custer’s last stand for the border patrol.”
Earle Mitchell, of Springfield, a retired military man and defense contractor, raised a sign that read “What part of Illegal don’t you understand.”
This was his second protest; last year he demonstrated against the Iraq war.
“We need to tighten up the borders,” Mitchell said. “Anybody can come across and that includes al-Qaida.”
Across the park from the Minuteman, separated by dozens of police officers and yellow crime scene tape, about 50 pro-immigration demonstrators tried to shout them out with derogatory chants. Both sides accused the other of being racists.
