Colorado Springs – The founder of a volunteer militia that searches for illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico chastised the federal government Monday for failing what he said is its primary mission.
“Why aren’t you using our taxes to do the job of securing our borders? That’s job No. 1 – to protect our borders,” said Chris Simcox, the Arizona man who started the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.
He was in town to endorse Doug Lamborn, one of six Republicans vying in the Aug. 8 primary for U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley’s seat.
Simcox said the state senator comes “highly recommended” by his constituents.
“His voting record and the principles that he stands on, his record as a public servant already, is what stands out to us more than anything.”
The crowded GOP primary field in the 5th Congressional District is squarely aligned on two of the most prominent immigration issues.
Each candidate says the first step in immigration reform is to secure the border. None supports a scenario that leads to citizenship for those already here, which they dub amnesty.
Some go further.
Lamborn, former El Paso County Sheriff John Anderson, and Duncan Bremer oppose citizenship for “anchor babies,” children born to mothers who are in the country illegally. Jeff Crank, a former aide to Hefley, thinks federal funding should be cut off to “sanctuary cities.”
Lamborn said the law providing citizenship to babies born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants should be challenged. He said he supports legislation that would require that the estimated 11 million people here illegally would have to go back to their country of origin and reapply to work or become citizens.
“For the privilege of working here, I would hope most or all would want to do that,” he said. “It could be done over a period of time and would establish respect for the rule of law.”
Lionel Rivera, the city’s first Hispanic mayor, said the nation should adopt a system similar to one in the 1950s called Los Braceros. His mother, a nurse, came to the U.S. from Mexico under that program. She received a green card and became a citizen in 1965. Under that program, the number of illegal immigrants captured on the border fell from 1 million to 100,000 annually, he said.
“It’s proof, I believe, that if you provide a system to verify people coming here that it reduces the amount of illegal immigration,” Rivera said.
Anderson, the former sheriff who works as a homeland defense expert for Lockheed Martin, said he’s “dead-set against” any form of amnesty.
“I think what people don’t realize is that illegal immigration is not only harmful to our economy and our culture but, most importantly, to the security and defense of our nation,” he said.
Anderson said voters need to recognize the need for reform. “So many American citizens think with their heart, and that’s wonderful. … But there are a lot of people here who are evil, vicious, violent people, so for this country to have the belief that for anyone who is here, we just ought to accept them, is absolutely wrongheaded.”
Crank, a former vice president of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, said he would introduce legislation to end federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities, municipalities that say law enforcement does not have to report illegal immigrants to federal officials.
“If Denver doesn’t want to help enforce the laws of the United States on immigration, then they don’t deserve our federal tax dollars – that’s the way I look at it.”
Crank said he believes border security is the first step.
“We’ve got to commit the resources to do that because the American people are going to demand that we do it. We can either get the clue now or we can get it after the election,” he said.
Bentley Rayburn, who retired April 1 as an Air Force major general, said he believes citizens need to be educated about the issue.
“The first thing is, the country has got to be serious about it. If the country is not going to be serious about it, it’s a waste of money because nothing is ever going to happen,” Rayburn said.
He said the first step is to secure the borders.
Bremer, a lawyer and former El Paso county commissioner, sums up his stance on immigration succinctly.
“We need to make it more difficult for people to come here illegally. We need to make it easier for people to come here legally, and Congress should end the automatic citizenship of babies born to people here illegally,” he said.
Jay Fawcett, the lone Democrat in the race, said the federal government has a responsibility to protect the borders and enforce existing law.
He said he will ask three questions of any legislation: “Is it enforceable? Does it reflect reality? And what’s the cost?”
Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
