Minutemen say time is up for illegal aliens

Group promises to descend on the county in attempt to reduce illegal alien population

Thursday, March 23, 2006

The Children of the Minutemen are warning county officials and organizations they are coming to Prince George’s County to put an end to assistance given to illegal aliens.

Stephen Schreiman, state director for the organization, said illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the country.

He said his organization’s stance is simple — any person who is illegal should not be in the country.

He said the organization plans to document the actions of CASA de Maryland and other groups they allege have helped increase the amount of illegal aliens in the state.

‘‘It’s unlawful to hire an illegal alien,” Schreiman said. ‘‘They have to be a citizen of this country. Someone on a tourist visa is not eligible. Why we can’t get it enforced is another question.”

Schreiman cites politics, money and corruption as the main reason for the problem of enforcing an end to the influx of illegal aliens into the state.

However, County Councilman Will Campos (Dist.2) of Hyattsville said the Minutemen are a small minority compared to the support CASA de Maryland and other laborer centers receive from throughout the county.

‘‘I definitely take exception to a group outside of Prince George’s County coming to my county and district telling [us] what [we] can and cannot do with an issue in my community,” he said.

‘‘One of the issues [CASA de Maryland] Director Gustavo Torres brings up is that the people are here and they’re trying to help them,” Schreiman said.

‘‘What they don’t say is that if they didn’t provide these services and encourage these people to come here to find jobs they wouldn’t be here.”

He added, ‘‘They’re absolutely intensifying the problem and encouraging more people to come across the border.”

The Maryland chapter of the Minutemen started the first week of January. But while the organization is based in Montgomery County and Baltimore, Schreiman said the group would soon be making its way into other parts of the county.

‘‘Wherever CASA or the immigration problem goes, we will go,” he said. ‘‘It may take us time to get there but we will get there.”

Schreiman said, ‘‘The people CASA is trying to help are actually causing problems of prostitution, murders, decreased living conditions, increased gang activity, influx of diseases which cost millions and millions of taxpayers’ money.”

While not implicating all illegal aliens, Schreiman said the vast majority is causing problems because they are not conforming to the standards in the community.

‘‘The Minutemen are among those people who are afraid of change and afraid of differences,” said William Hanna, the office of executive secretary for Action Langley Park.

‘‘But if they stopped to think about labor needs and social security, putting aside fears and prejudices, they would actively support our semi-open borders.”

E-mail Jeffrey K. Lyles at jlyles@gazette.net.