Border brouhaha

Vigilantism in the name of the rule of law is still vigilantism – unregulated, passionate individuals who want to impose their view of the law on others, sometimes with tragic consequences. If it had a place in the lawless American West of the 19th century, it doesn’t today.

Yet, the growing Minutemen Civil Defense Corps movement insists that it has a role to play in combating illegal immigration. The Arizona-based movement, which began in April 2005, has made headlines by patrolling this country’s southern border in an unsolicited attempt to help law enforcement catch undocumented aliens crossing surreptitiously. They have photographed workers being hired at an informal day-labor site near Washington, D.C. They’ve been jeered by Hispanic-Americans in Los Angeles at the start of a motorcade to advertise their crusade. They’ve been labeled as racist.

Now, they’re in the Tri-Cities area trying to establish what they consider a beachhead against illegal immigration in Washington state.

The Minutemen have somewhat of a beef: The U.S. government has given little but lip service to address our illegal immigration problem, particularly as it affects homeland security efforts. The United States is awash in undocumented visitors. Fixing the problem should be a top priority for President Bush and the new Democratic Congress. However, citizens walk a dangerous line when they decide to become a voluntary part of law enforcement activities and demand that local governments, like the city of Kennewick, begin punishing landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses who hire them.

Washington Minutemen from as far away as Aberdeen descended on the Kennewick City Council last week to ask that the city take an active role in fighting illegal immigration. They targeted Kennewick and Eastern Washington for battle due to their large Latino populations. The Minutemen had at least one ally on the council in the person of Bob Parks. Parks knows that Congress has the authority and responsibility to regulate immigration, but he’s not satisfied with the job federal lawmakers are doing.

Parks’ solution was to propose an ordinance modeled after one adopted in Hazelton, Pa. It would fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal immigrant found renting an apartment from them and also fine businesses for hiring illegal workers. It would also mandate that all city documents be written in English only. Federal courts have prevented similar local ordinances from taking effect pending lawsuits filed against them by the ACLU and other civil rights groups.

Basically, to make a statement, Parks and his posse are pushing an unenforceable ordinance and casting suspicion on every resident in Kennewick and the Tri-Cities area with a Latino surname or complexion. They want Kennewick to shake down law-abiding citizens for birth certificates and other documentation, simply to rent a room or hold a job. Parks’ plan would subject landlords and farmers to hefty fines should they accidentally deal with an illegal alien.

It’s doubtful that the city of Kennewick has the staff to document any financial drain caused by illegal aliens on city services, schools and hospitals, as Parks wants. Or that it can do a better job combating the problem than the U.S. government. Or that it’ll want to be seen as aligned with Minutemen.