Republican congressional candidate (and Asheville City Council member) Carl Mumpower is planning a protest Saturday morning June 28 in Hendersonville over a visit by the Mexican Consulate. The consulate will be offering that country’s Consular Matricula I.D. cards, which Mumpower believes only serve to condone illegal immigration.
Mumpower sent word of the planned protest at Blue Ridge Community College to supporters, the media and others on his e-mail list on June 27. The action comes just a few weeks after Mumpower said he would support the impeachment of President George W. Bush over his failure to enforce U.S. immigration laws
“The Saturday morning protest is coming together. We have 60 flags and posters for participants and will get more if needed,” he said in one of his campaign e-mails. “It’s early, but this protest is the right thing, at the right time, and at the right place,” he asserted, saying he planned a “peaceful and enthusiastic demonstration of our concerns.”
See below for the full text of Mumpower’s initial e-mail outlining the rationale for the protest.
— Hal L. Millard, staff writer
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An anticipated Friday and Saturday visit by the Mexican Consulate to the Blue Ridge Community campus in Hendersonville is subject to protest according to a spokesman for the Mumpower for Congress Committee. The visit is being sponsored by the Latino Advocacy Coalition of Henderson County, who have rented space at the campus for those interested in receiving a “Consular Matricula” I.D. card from the Mexican Embassy. According to Lee Anna Haney, a spokesperson for the college, North Carolina is one of the few states that recognize the Consular Matricula I.D. card as a valid form of identification to obtain a state driver’s license.
Ron Woodard of North Carolina Listen, a non-profit group targeting illegal immigration issues, has shared concerns with the school that the consular I.D.‘s make it easier to remain in America illegally. “It also appears that this event is to assist illegal immigrants in general with recommendations and other information,” said Woodard.
A request by North Carolina Listen to monitor the event was declined by the Blue Ridge College administration. “As to your group’s desire to “monitor” this event that request is denied,” said Ms. Haney. “The College is not the equivalent of a public park. Use of College facilities must comply with our facilities use policy and groups or individuals may not come on campus to monitor other groups.”
The office of 11th District Republican Congressional candidate Carl Mumpower has announced a planned protest of the event. Those interested are invited to meet at the Mumpower for Congress campaign office at Suite 310, One Oak Plaza, in Asheville at 6:15 am for the trip to Hendersonville. There will be a follow-up breakfast gathering at the Upward Road Cracker Barrel at 7:00 with the protest beginning sometime around 8:00 that morning on or about Blue Ridge Community College.
“This activity on a tax supported college campus illustrates our government’s paralysis on illegal immigration; the audacity and double standard of the Mexican government; and the indulgences of those who conspire to appease, support, and otherwise benefit from illegal immigration,” said Mumpower.
“Illegal immigration is the greatest law breaking scheme in America’s history and it is past time for our politicians to be more concerned with enforcing the rule of law and protecting America’s borders than shielding their dignity and getting reelected. This protest has nothing to do with Latinos, immigration, racism or any of the other decoy issues that conspirators use to distract Americans from action. It is simply about one word – illegal.”
Mumpower has been encouraged by supporters and advisors to offer a position statement but otherwise avoid the event. “Concern for image and political correctness has kidnapped accountability and action in America—I have no interest in continuing that theme with my own version of political cowardliness,” said Mumpower. “With our staff and resources, we are in a better position than about anyone in WNC to organize a responsible protest of this event.” “No doubt we will run into hurdles, but we will do what we can and leave the rest in the hands of higher authority.”
Good for you Doctor Mumpower! A politician with the guts to do the right thing. Illegal immigrants should NOT be legitimized this way. In fact, if these cards are issued, the INS should use this as proof that these folks are illegally here. And if not them, then the Henderson County Sheriff’s office. They have been trained in federal deportation protocol. We have got to get control of our borders, if for no other reason than national security.
Mexican Government Must Not Respect Our Leaders
The Saturday morning protest is coming together. We have 60 flags and posters for participants and will get more if needed. It’s early, but this protest is the right thing, at the right time, and at the right place. Please join us at 6:15 am at our Asheville One Oak Plaza campaign headquarters or 7:00 at the Upward Road Cracker Barrel in Hendersonville. We will head to the campus from there for peaceful and enthusiastic demonstration of our concerns.
A couple of points-
1) The Mexican government must not respect our leaders or they would not have even thought of taking this action.
2) One wonders which local, state, and national leaders knew about this event in advance and took no action.
3) I am serious when I say I will not abide any harmful activities in the llth District without raising a hand of protest – regardless of the political prices attached.
Carl Mumpower
11th District Republican Congressional Candidate
There is an easy way to deal with this situation but it might adversely impact Democrat voter registrations. Require one of three identifications: a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551 otherwise known as a green card), a Social Security Card or a U.S. birth certificate. If they present a consular ID and cannot provide one of the three above, then the DMV officer on site should arrest them and begin deportation proceedings. If somebody wants to complain about the rest of us being immigrants too, then let them set the example and emigrate back to where ever their forefathers came from.
to say this is not about latinos or racism is like saying that the japanese internment camps were only about national security. when a government starts denying basic civil rights and worker protections to individuals simply because of their immigration status, it may be time for reflection. especially if the country in question is self-proclaimed nation of immigrants. there’s plenty of data that suggests that this country is actually benefitting from its addiction to cheap labor, and the workers themselves are the ones being physically exploited for unreasonable wages. read ‘reefer madness’ by eric schlossinger. maybe it would help have a more informed opinion on immigration if people actually educated themselves on the issue rather than respond to fear-mongering sound-bites.
“Mumpower said he would support the impeachment of President George W. Bush over his failure to enforce U.S. immigration laws”
Man, of all the reasons to want to impeach President Bush…
The first teaser video of the protest is up:
http://wnccb.blogspot.com/2008/06/wnc-citizens-protest-mexican-consulate.html
Brent, it would probably be the only reason within the pale of Constitutionality.
anton, why would you object to an orderly and legal process for becoming a resident of the U.S.?
Would this not make them legal? Is that what all the shouting is about? Or is it rather that you don’t want them legal, but gone?
I want them here. I want them here, and I want them to live here without the fear of being sent back. This helps with that, so I am for it.
Johnny, no, having the Mexican Consulate issue them a Mexican ID does not make their status legal in any sense of the word.
Johnny,
could you state the reasons why you want illegal immegrants (hispanic or other) here? As for those who believe that there is cheap labor, I say that it is offset by all the services that the taxpayers have to foot the bill for. only people who benefit here are the ones doint the hiring. the get a cheap wage and we pick up the benefits. sound fair, Johnny/Anton??
Some years ago, I met an Iranian man whose family had been offered asylum here. His family decided to relocate in the southwestern US, where they were frequently rounded up and put into ooutdoor cages until they could prove that they were not Mexicans.
All these cards are going to do is help these Mexicans prove that they are not Iranians. Some of the people that enforce our laws are prone to confusing spanish and farsii. Who are the cards hurting?
Must not have been any Widespread Panic shows in the area to infiltrate or any book burnings to go to.
Anton – such pie in the sky theoretical junk. No country in the world allows an undocumented flood of citizens from another country. Are they all ruthless racists too? I thought only the US was racist!? No, its economics and security. Proven old school concerns. The world is complicated and your naive “can’t we all just get along” view is just a Utopian dream.
We have a lot of real issues with Mexico but this isn’t one of them. All Mexican Citizens are required to have this card..it is a national ID card.
If you have a problem with illegal immigration put the criminals who hire them in jail and take away their businesses. The employers are overloading our systems by not paying employee taxes. They think of themselves as “law abiding” but don’t pay payroll taxes or minimum wages..they are no better than drug dealers. They should be treated as such.
Our unsocial welfare system is an entirely separate tragedy from our War on Undocumented Workers. Stopping that system would not stop people coming here for a better life, or deciding to bypass the ridiculous hoops in place that they would have to jump through to be “legal”. If native born Americans had to qualify to be here like immigrants had to qualify to be here, the country would be virtually emptied.
I want them here because they want to be here, they have the inalienable right to be here, and I like it when people exercise those rights. I want them here living without fear, so that they can demand a better wage and better conditions.
And JC, you’re right- in many ways they are no better, and no worse, than drug dealers. In fact, the War on the Undocumented is a lot like the War on Drugs:
-both are financial sinkholes we keep shoveling money into
-both curtail our civil liberties to a shameful degree
-both create more social ills than they stop
-both fight negative consequences (drain on the social welfare system, poor working conditions-violence, corruption) that would to a great extent disappear if these wars were stopped.
-both have racist roots.
Open borders for a better America!
Perhaps Mr Anton has room at his place to put up some undocumented folks. Or pay their emergency room visit bills. Or their food stamp bills.I’m all for immigrants…LEGAL ones. And Dr Mumpower is quite right.It is the height of disrespect for US lawsfor the Mexican Counselate to come here and encourage law breakers with an invalid card.
I wonder what Mexico would do if millions of Americans decamped from here, and walked across their border, and demanded free emergency care, and bilingual accommodation in their schools?
What would they do if American Consular Officials set up mobile units to make ID Cards for Americans that are valid only in Mexico?
These ID Cards that the Mexicans are getting are not legal ID in Mexico.
Hey Willie…. it’s the law….. if you don’t like it, move somewhere else.
The cards are worthless….. North KaKalaKy is one of the few states that allows the use of the cards to obtain drivers licenses.
TP, in Mexico, illegal border crossers from their southern border are SHOT. No I am not in favor of that, but illegals should be sent home and then they can apply legally to enter the USA. We need to screen for diseases and criminals.
William:
You are so right in that. That is what kills me when people claim our ancestors came here illegally. I am sure some did, but the vast majority were screened. Their names were recorded, and they were checked for diseases. A lot of their names were anglicanized by American clerks who changed them to something they could spell, and by immigrants wanting to fit in “or assimilate” to American Culture.
I feel so bad for Mexicans because they have a crappy bunch running things over there…I wish there was something we could do about helping them have their own Revolution so they could have a Free Country like we do.
“Johnny, no, having the Mexican Consulate issue them a Mexican ID does not make their status legal in any sense of the word.”
Then whats the need for the protest?
“I wish there was something we could do about helping them have their own Revolution so they could have a Free Country like we do.”
Great Idea. Maybe requiring trade agreements (if were gonna have them) to allow them a living wage in their own country, so they don’t have to risk life and limb to get here in the first place.
I think it is far more likely that we will begin to see wages similar to those available in Mexico being more and more common here in the states.
TP, on my mother’s side, we were in Niorth carolina in the 1750s. On my father’s side, 1890s. All legal. God bless immigrants who want to live the American dream…legally. Letting millions of illegals live here is a slap in the face at those who waited and entered legally.
The stupidity, racism, and bureaucracy involved in becoming an American citizen “legally” is a slap in the face to sanity.
LOL, Johnny, is that remark supposed to be taken seriously?
Well, I was serious when I wrote it. Our immigration system certainly has racist roots, and the current system still relies on quotas, albeit quotas without _explicit_ racial components.
The system is antiquated, and badly run, with the average wait from a green card running about 4 to 20 years. Let me repeat that: 4 to 20 YEARS. That is ridiculous.
To quote you from earlier this thread, Mr. Miller:
“We need to screen for diseases and criminals.”
And if that was all we were doing, I would be fine with that. But that is not what we do. We try to centrally plan the economy, and our national makeup, by cherry-picking the professions and nationalities some clueless bureaucrat might think we need, if he actual gives any thought to it all.
Trying to centrally plan an economy is something commies do. Are you a commie, Mr. Miller? :)
Wow Johnny. We should definitely get you what you want. Isn’t that your right? Your policies are so thoughtful and caring. I’m ready to tear up.
Every country has immigration rules. You seem to forget that. Does that make everyone racist? Or communists? How can that be?!! You mean its possible someone other than Americans are racist? I’ll never believe it. All of your ‘fairness’ spouting sounds communist/socialist to me. What would your policy be? Open border all the time? No documentation?
As little documentation as possible, yes. We are not talking about other countries. We are talking about the United States of America. We’re supposed to be different. Better. Unfortunately, all too often we find ourselves sinking to the lowest common national denominator. I would have thought someone like yourself, with such pride in America, would demand better, but I guess not. Ah, well.
But since you bring up other countries, then yes, if I had describe a general trend common to all national governments, in varying degrees, then bureaucratic collectivism with racist overtones would be a fairly good fit. And to our shame and detriment, this trend shows up in American government as well.
Also, what’s all this “fairness” stuff? I have not advocated fairness, or any real synonym of that word. What I advocate is based upon the belief that our government, and in fact all governments, are packed with incompetent thugs with golden tongues, and that they should be given as little power as possible.
As for my proposed policy, as I said, as little documentation as possible. Unless you’re a convict of something considered a felony in the US, or have the plague, your citizenship should take no more than one month to process. Tops.
The US different? How are we different? How did we get to be different? Immigration policy controlling the population influx and the economy perhaps? Surely not. If we had had open borders our whole history, we would be very different thats for sure. You are spouting never tested theory and totally ignoring human nature. I’ve been and lived all over the world. Human nature and the worlds civilization is much more complicated that you are giving it credit for.
“All legally.”
I’m sure there were some folks around back then who might have disputed the legality.
JDNC, we were at one point different because we were a country intentionally based on the premise that people were not just free, but that we were naturally and inherently free, and that this was really cool. Over the years, our ambition and our fear have gotten the better of us, so that we have descended to, as I said before, the lowest common national denominator.
Until after the civil war, we did have essentially open borders, and the nation didn’t disintegrate because of the that. Going back to open borders wouldn’t do it either.
That sounds great, but a different reality exists now. 200 years ago and even 100 years ago, there was still plenty of expansion left to do before all of the US had been settled and populated. It was easy to encourage unlimited immigration. Within the last 100 years, the US found itself in the same situation as every other country – no more expansion room and an immigration program. You are inviting the poorest of the poor to come and live with us, absorb our social programs and punish government services. Who says our economy is strong enough to handle that? We aren’t doing a very good job of handling those we have now. Solve that problem first, then open the border.
JDNC, they are here already. And reality is not so different now. We are not an overcrowded nation. We don’t even know what overcrowded it, and wouldn’t if the whole country of Mexico moved here en masse. Their presence is not what has wrecked the economy. That was done by the sub-prime scandal, and stupid decisions by the Fed (but I repeat myself). I suspect that if you investigate, you will find the overwhelming majority of Americans involved in both are native-born, probably for quite a few generations. More legal residents means more labor resources available, which encourages more business. If they punish government services, then that’s a lot more lenient than what I would like to do to them.
Johnny is right. There is enough room for everyone on the whole planet to move to Texas and have more than a thousand square feet per person space…even more if they built up.
They earth is mostly empty space.
The elephant in the room is that the Mexican government is very corrupt, and exports it’s problems north of the border.
I would be okay with it one one condition…if their government would allow us the same freedom of movement and accommodation as they expect us to give their citizens who cross the border illegally.
We are in the midst of a demographic invasion that has the support of the Mexican government…and too many willing accomplices in our own government.
Mr. Pig, that is a valid concern, and I support any attempt, legal or illegal, to get those rights recognized for Americans in Mexico, as long as it does not involve denying those rights to Mexicans in America.
I have to say, this is, by far, the most reasoned and civil discussion on illegal immigration I’ve seen on Mt.X.
Kudos, guys.
Darn it, now I have this urge to insult someone’s mother…..
Here is the full one hour video of this event.
Click here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7756903252320708282&hl=en
Note: watch the last ten mins of this video to get an insight to a diffent view.\
RB
Good news that San Francisco is taking heat for ignoring/circumventing Federal immigration laws. Sanctuary Cities are possibly a bigger problem than enabling employers. We have to have a unified national front. Wayward children like the San Fran City Council serve a counter productive purpose. They need a good spanking.
Richard:
If people followed my link on the 5th comment…they watched that video.
JDNC, both employers and whacko “sanctuary” cities like San Francisco are both culprits, although employers are the biggest problem. We could end this problem quickly by placing real stiff fines on employers who hire illegals. And for you who say they are doing the jobs Americans do not want to do, just wait. If we get more and they get entrenched here, like in Los Angeles, they will start taking over skilled jobs like carpenter,taper, etc, then join unions and go on strike to be paid big money. This has happened in Los Angeles and elsewhere where there are large illegal populations, and the local government looked the other way.
Plan: go after employers. When illegals are identified, kindly escort them to the border and tell them they can apply for temporary work visas. We let some of them back in, but after criminal checks and health checks to make sure they are not bringing in contagious diseases. Then make the temporary visa stick but enforcing the return to their home country until another is issued. Canada does it much thgis way and it appears to work there.
We must have secure borders and a return to the rule of law.
Let the dollar keep slipping and the immigrant tide will move the other way….already Chinese immigration has slowed from 4 yrs ago…
The US economy/dollar could completely collapse and the flow from Mexico would continue. Their economy is a complete disaster. China’s economy is growing like gangbusters.
How about we give everything between Texas and California back to Mexico and call it even?
The illegals DO NEED STINKIN BADGES, green cards or citizen papers. To allow the current widespread law breaking is national suicide.
I think mexicans are cool. They play good music, and work much harder than anglos for much less money.
We should all trade places with them for a year. That would be cool. we go there, they come here.
David, LOL, you are a typical liberal saying “we” should do this or do that, all the while meaning other people should do the things you suggest while you just watch. Walk your talk. Invite some illegal Mexicans into your space and put them up. Get real close and personal. Eat plenty of menudo and hogs balls. Sing mariachi music all night fueled by cheap tequila. Go ahead! Actually “be cool”, don’t just talk about it. -:)
William:
At least David is honest that he wants a slave class in America, you should give him some credit.
While, if he is a liberal, he would clamor for higher minimum wages for Americans because he knew that a lot of Mexicans work under the table for less than minimum wages. I have seen it with my own eyes.
Mr Pig,
I dont think mr miller actually means I am a ‘liberal’ by any common definitions we would agree on. i think many of my posts here illustrate that. If i have any political ‘affiliation’, it is as an absurdist. or maybe a conservative. The only thing ‘liberal’ about me is how the amount of tamari i put on my fried kale.
I just think the whole thing is a silly, non-issue.
Until we talk about reversing things like NAFTA and GATT, that have decimated the mexican economy (and encouraged the growth of the political corruption you reference), then talk of ‘not letting them come here’ seems uninformed, in my opinion.
I also think that if most of the folks who clamor about ‘them mexicans’ actually got their way, they would no longer be able to afford most of the things at the grocery store. which is to say that, as our economy is currently structured, the US would collapse without illegal immigration.
Too many people rant on about ‘immigration’ without having any real experience with the issue. And because of that, I find it hard to take folks like willy seriously. It appears to me to be a divide-and-conquer political issue, like gay marriage, that allow certain individuals to make ridiculously generalized, misinformed statements about ‘liberals’ and ‘mexicans taking our jobs” without having any grounding in reality.
If immigration is a real ‘issue’, and not just a way for people like mumpower to rally up a base, then why dont we address the real reasons why people are willing to risk life and limb to come here and live in a tent and pick fruit for a couple bucks an hour? Despite what some folks might think, the majority of these immigrants would love to be able to return ‘home’ and find a reasonable wage. But they cant, because US foreign policy has set about destroying their economy
for the purpose of guaranteeing cheap immigrant labor here in the states.Sort of like what is currently now occurring to the US economy in the last 6 months. Maybe we should blame unions for raising wages to such an unreasonable level, that companies like GM were able to make millions more by outsourcing labor.
Unfortunately, that is unlikely to happen, because, in my opinion, what this is really about is racism. People in areas such as WNC, who are unused to other cultures, are naturally scared of ‘others,’ and politicians are very good at successfully playing on this fear with impossible promises like building a giant wall or deporting everybody.
I have three families that live in my ‘neighborhood’, who are all from the same area of central mexico. They are far better neighbors (share food, help with community projects, child care, etc) than most of my ‘white’ neighbors who drive big fancy SUV’s and never say hello. i say, send those unfriendly retirees, living off of my social security, to mexico to fend for themselves, and let the folks who are improving this country to stay here.
but thats just my opinion. what do i know?
TP, it would be satisfying to see david work for $5.00 an hour doing hard physical labor sometime. In the fields with the folks he thinks are so cool. Hey david, LIVE your words man! Be an illegal border crosser for just one day to see how it is. -:)
So this is one step closer to giving illegal immigrants a drivers license? OK.
The easiest way for a Mexican to have a drivers license here is to bring the one they use in Mexico.
All countries recognize driver’s licenses from other countries.
Now if a Mexican can’t get a driver’s license in MEXICO, they probably shouldn’t be issued one here either.