In Austin, Minn., on Wednesday, protesters from both sides of the immigration issue faced off in a verbal sparring match in front of the government center.
According to the Austin Daily Herald, the protest pitted people who want to crack down on illegal immigration against people who disagree with their message. The protest was scheduled by Austin resident Samuel Johnson, a member of the National Socialist Movement, to rally against illegal immigration.
To counter Johnson, a number of people came out with signs “supporting human rights and decrying Nazism.”
During the rally, Johnson told the crowd, “Our country is under attack from a Third World country.”
Robert Reimers, a recent Austin High School graduate in attendance, disagreed with Johnson’s message.
“They’re wrong. America was made of immigrants,” he said. “Without them, America would be nothing.”
Austin resident and stay-at-home dad Steve Simon said he was protesting illegal immigration not because of race, but because of jobs.
“I’m fighting for him,” he said, pointing to his baby, “so he can have a job.”
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In partnership with Familias Unidas Minnesota Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison will host Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez for a community assembly on Immigration 2:30 p.m. Sunday June 14 at Church of the Incarnation, 3817 Pleasant Ave., Minneapolis. According to a press release, the gathering will “highlight the failure of the current immigration system to keep families and communities together.”
Congressman Gutierrez has visited communities across the country to document the harm being caused to citizens in the absence of immigration reform. His visit to Minnesota is part of the Family Unity Tour, a series of community gatherings to build momentum for federal changes to the immigration system.
Gutierrez will listen to testimonies of people whose families have been separated as a result of the inequity of the immigration system.
The United Families MN Committee is made up of a diverse group of organizations, including Jewish Community Action (JCA).
For information, contact Briana MacPhee, of the United Families Minnesota Committee at 612-396-5610.
