Scenario: Mexican-American border issues

[Rick Warder]

Six Mexican immigrants killed on Arizona border
in the Phoenix Gazette

NOGALES, AZ - Arizonan police are investigating the death of six Mexican immigrants along the border. According to the reports of two surviving immigrants who fled the scene, so called 'Minutemen' caught up to a band of eight immigrants who were trying to move across the border illegaly. The Minutemen, who were in their Jeep, chased the group of eight, then ordered them to halt. When the immigrants began to run away instead, the Minutemen opened fire.

"One second we were making a break for the north, and then these guys in plain clothes come up to us and tell us to stop. Instead, we ran as fast as we could, but they opened fire into our backs. I only got away because I managed to hide in a ravine. Then, the next morning, a highway patrol officer picked me up and brought me here," said Juan "Amigo" Contrares from his cell in a Sierra Vista, NV jail.

"I am disgusted at this," said former Sen. John McCain. "This is an obvious case of illegal vigilante justice. The fact that nobody has taken action against these so called Minutemen is a sorry statement on our borders."

The ACLU has condemned the Arizonan government for its failure to establish proper border patrols, which led to the death of the immigrants. "If the border had been properly policed, there would be no demand for these kinds of vigilante groups," said the local ACLU chapter head, Carol Rosenstein.

President Rick Warder remained silent on the issue until earlier today. His press officer, Mr. Thomas Cade, said the following: "The president acknowledges concerns about immigration. But he unequivocally condemns anyone who uses violence, let alone lethal violence, to stop innocent individuals from crossing into America, who frequently seek a life of opportunity and prosperity for themselves and nothing else. These men were guilty of crossing into America illegaly, but the penalty for that crime is not death, it is deportation. The president says he will seek punishment to the fullest extent of the law against the perpetrators of these heinous murders."

So far, reaction in the press has been mixed, ranging from understanding for the concerns of locals who are opposed to immigration to condemnation of the Minutemen from more liberal groups.

[Owen Williams]

OOC: Which aspect of this scenario is for us? If it's just commenting on it I will put my press releases related to this in this thread, if we have greater scope then let me know.

Senator Williams decried the actions of the Minutemen on the behalf of the Californian Mexican community:

"This is a most disgraceful display of viligante violence, which can never be tolerated. Regardless of what cause this group may be championing there can be no place for viligante violence in our community and I implore Arizonian police to move swiftly in apprehending the perpatrators of this horrendous crime.

Illegal immigrants or no, they remain human beings seeking a better life in this country. They travelled many miles to seek a chance, a hope, a dream, the American dream and they were met by death! This is not the tolerant, accepting America in which I was raised! Whatever happened to give us your sick, your poor and your huddled masses?

It is my fervent hope that these muderers are punished and that the community can move on towards looking at solutions to the problems from which this terrible tradgedy has arisen"

[Rick Warder]

OOC: Owen, it's definitely yours, as Arizona is in the Southwest Region, of which you are Senator. Do you want to get involved with the police investigation, advance legislation, etc? Up to you. I will be posting an update later on today.

E.

[Owen Williams]

*Today Senator Williams visited the families of some of the deceased in San Diego. He spent 2 hours discussing the tradgedy with the families and promised to have his office become more active in working as an advocate for Mexican immigrants.

Senator Williams has now hired an extra staffer to be devoted to acting in the interests of people with family members attempting to lawfully immigrate from Mexico in the United States.*

[Rick Warder]

OOC: Oops. Must've forgotten the update. Will get to that shortly. Momentito. :-)

[Uxbridge]

Senator Uxbridge visited some a camp of “Minutemen'” in New Mexico today.
“ I come here to see for myself what you are trying to do first hand rather then the Media Version” The Senator and members of his staff was shown around the camp, as well attended a training class.
“ During my visit here have seen no fire arms being carried nor any Hate Lit, in fact I witnessed a man to claimed to be with the KKK escorted off this camp and his Car tag and name turned over to the Police for further investigation”
“ Yes some of the crew here off duty police helping to patrol and the land owner have side arms but in no way would I call this an armed camp” “ What this group does once they id a cluster crossing the border is call the local police who in turn call the Border Patrol”
“ They do no more then a watch group back home does” Uxbridge ended his visit by calling on The Federal Government to build a border control fence and insure the manpower to patrol it. “ I understand why Mexicans are trying to come a free country with better chance to provide for there kids, It is a shame that Mexico with Billions in Oil income can not do a better job for there own folk.” “ Perhaps it is time to help the Mexican people find a better Government, I will make myself ready to meet with any group from Mexico that is looking for that help, I hope that the American People will join me in reaching out our hand to provide that aid”

[Cody Shea]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Met by reporters on the steps of the Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Cody Shea (D-NC) responded to the situation with the Minutemen and the border.

"The immigration issue has nothing to do with migrants breaking the law," said Shea, "and everything to do with corrupt conglomerates here in the US enticing them. The surest way to stop illegal immigration is not fences or armed vigiliantes, it's penalties for companies who employ illegals. Let's not forget they're breaking the law just as much as the migrants, yet because they're also heavy contributers to the RNC it's the migrant trying to feed his family whose become the criminal."

When pressed for comment on the deaths at the border, Shea had harsh words for the Minutemen.

"They're a domestic terrorist group," Shea commented sternly, "No different from the Michigan Militia or the like. If you ask me, Congress should send the US Marshals down there to break up the group, arrest the killers, and let real justice be done."

[Rick Warder]

Minutemen charged with murder, now in court
from the Phoenix Gazette

NOGALES, AZ - In the wake of the public outcry surrounding the murder of six illegal immigrants from Mexico, Arizonan police combed Nogales and its outlying towns, arresting suspects and eventually rounding up four men: Tim Klein, Andy Warren, Jake Abers and Rudy Paletti. The suspects are currently awaiting trial at the Nogales district court on first degree murder charges, which carry the death penalty.

Following the ratification of the Mexican-American Guest Worker Treaty and calls by prominent Republican leaders to construct a fence along the length of the southern border of the United States, the Nogales incident has drawn nationwide scrutiny, with even North Carolina Senator Cody Shea and Wisconsin Senator Jim Uxbridge getting involved. While Shea believes that conglomerates who hire illegal immigrants are to blame for the crossings, Uxbridge has advocated a stronger border patrol. The one approach is aimed at stifling the incentive, the other at stopping the carrying out of the act.

Senator Owen Williams of California condemned the Minutemen as well, saying that America must remain the land of opportunity for all men.

In Nogales, partisan interest groups have converged on the court house. The American Civil Liberties Union has used the opportunity put immigrant rights into the spotlight. CNN, FOX and other major outlets have been pushing the immigrant isssue strongly in their programming. Recently, in the San Joaquin Valley farming town of Stockton, the migrant worker community took to the streets in a protest of 5,000 individuals, reminiscent of the days of activist Cesar Chavez. "The killing of these innocent individuals is a terrible crime, one the government cannot simply ignore," a speaker for the ACLU said.

The Arizona Alliance for Immigration Reform, a right-leaning group which advocates suspending posse comitatus and using the U.S. Army to impose martial law on the border, said that the Minutemen were being singled out by a hostile press. "The situation surrounding the killings is still unclear, yet the press acts like these Minutemen are already guilty," said Jim Kimberly, the AAIR's president. "We want a fair, objective investigation. For all we know, the immigrants were armed and dangerous as well. And whatever the court decides, there's no denying that the immigration issue is a legitimate reason for concern. Illegal immigrants are turning honest citizens into a minority along the border."

[Uxbridge]

Statement from Senator Uxbridge, " We must understand thate these men have yet to be found guilty in a Court of Law, Senator Shea should not bandy about the word Terrorest when he has done nothing to stop Iran from obtaining nukes." " At the same time The Senator like a stoped clock who is right twice a day in saying that without companies here in the States hirring Illegals they would not come here."

[Kane Rowel]

Senator Rowel was interviewed on the O'Reilly Factor concerning the conduct of the Minutemen.

"So you," said O'Reilly, pointing the pen in his hand at the Senator across the table. "agree with the actions of the Minutemen. You don't think they went above the law?"

"Remember, Bill," returned the Senator. "This is no spin. Don't put words in mouth. What I said was that they acted as patriots, though their actions could still punishable by law. Do I feel they did this country a service? Yes. Do I feel they should be punished? We'll have to see what the investigation turns up. If they were wrong in what they did, they should pay the price. But we have to remember that this country has been infected with an enormous group of people who THEMSELVES have overstepped our laws in being here, who THEMSELVES have sapped an already waning economy, who THEMSELVES have taken jobs from the American taxpayer. Let us keep in mind the fact that those who enter our country illegally are criminals and do more damage than simply crossing an invisible line in the sand, they hurt Americans by being here."

"No, I'm with you," said O'Reilly, smiling. "I agree that the border issues facing this nation are something we have got to stop ignoring. We have to face it headon and deal with the factors contributing to it. Then we can work on repairing the damage. So do you support a wall?"

"Absolutely not. The billions of dollars spent on a wall would be put to better use investing in Mexican infrastructure. Help them get their own country out of the slums and into the twenty-first century. Help them rid themselves of corrupt leadership, of corrupt civil authorities. Help them see that they don't have to steal from the US citizen to feed their families. And I bet you'd be surprised at just how resourceful that nation could be."

The interview ended shortly thereafter. Senator Kane Rowel spent the rest of the evening speaking with the governor of Texas on the phone, going over their next move in what many Texians are calling The Border War.

[Owen Williams]

Senator Majority Leader Williams condemns Senator Shea for campaigning on the deaths of innocents:

"Senator Shea's use of this incident to pander to the Democrats labour union base is beyond the pale. The sub-text of his condemnation of conglomerates looking for cheap, flexible labour is quite clear, the AFL-CIO supports tyrannical border control because immigrant labour undermines it's power, and therefore Senator Shea supports tyrannical border control as well.

Trying to score political points by attacking the business community for searching for ways to cut costs is a gross and inexcusable use of the Senators bully pulpit."

SML Williams discussed the arrest of four suspects:

"I applaud the law enforcement agencies of Arizona for their swift and outstanding action in apprhending these men. Furthermore I place my faith in the Arizonian courts to deliver a fair and just decision based on the evidence available and look forward to seeing the perpetrators of these deaths brought to justice."

[Rick Warder]

Minutemen convicted of first degree murder
from the Phoenix Gazette

NOGALES, AZ - The Nogales district court has come to a verdict on four men who were implicated in the killing of six immigrants along the Mexican-American border. Tim Klein, Andy Warren, Jake Abers and Rudy Paletti were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to death in one of the most watched and politically charged trials of this decade.

"The verdict is out," said Carol Rosenstein, the Nogales chapter head for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "We feel that justice has been served, though we oppose the application of the death penalty categorically. For us, this has been a very tough case; we've had to balance the need for a fair verdict that takes immigrant rights into account, but at the same time, there was fact that the penalty for these four men would be death if convicted. It's a gut-wrenching affair."

This is a far cry from the uninhibited attitude adopted by some Democrats, most notably Senator Cody Shea, who described the four suspects as "terrorists" not too long ago, long before the trial had reached a conclusion.

The political fallout of this verdict has been growing steadily, and the blogosphere has already begun to post stunned reactions. "The death penalty? For people who were enforcing the laws of the United States when the government failed to do so? What is going on with the America I used to know?" wrote one 'LoneRanger' on RedState.org, a right wing website.

A group of Minutemen in Nogales have staged a demonstration in front of the district court, calling for the verdict to be overturned. "This verdict needs to be vacated as soon as possible, and obviously, we're going to appeal this all the way to the Supreme Court," said Jim Kimberly, the president of the Arizona Alliance for Immigration Reform. "I hope politicians, Democrat and Republican, will see the fact that these men were only doing their duty to the people of the United States by enforcing laws the government passed but didn't see fit to follow through on."

[Cody Shea]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The news of the conviction and death penalty verdict for the 4 members of the Minutemen militia has recieved mixed reactions on the Hill, but one of the more notable ones came from Senate Minority Leader Cody Shea (D-NC) who responded to reporters outside his offices here in the capitol.

"What do I think about it? I think four murderers got what they deserved," said Shea, "now don't get me wrong, I've never been fond of the death penalty, but that's what the people of that state have deemed appropriate and my opinion is that justice has been done."

When asked about his earlier statements calling the group domestic terrorists, Shea defiantly stood by them and even elaborated.

"They're an armed gang who gun down helpless migrants trying to cross the border into what we call the 'land of the freedom and opportunity'," the Senator remarked, "they give the world the wrong impression about this country, and for that I have nothing but disdain for them."

[Uxbridge]

Today Senator Uxbridge said of the American Mexican border murder ruling;
" The Jury have convected these men of murder However I feel that lack of border controls and the fact the American Companies hire Illegals played a part." "I will see the merits of an appeal"
" Until there is a fence and the law enforced this will contune to occure"

[William Reynolds]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Reynolds, when asked for a comment concerning the recent Minutemen trials. Reynolds seemed reluctant to comment, telling reporters, "The Mexico-Illinois border is rather small, don't you think?" However, after a little cajoling the former General was persuaded to speak.

"The Minutemen Project has strict and specific rules against any of their members directly confronting illegal aliens crossing the border into our country. They are legally required, by both law and their own organization's rules, to only observe and report any crossing to the U.S. Border Patrol. Anyone who says that these men were operating within the law show their own ignorance. Are these men responsible for illegal immigration? Of course not. Are they responsible for their own violent, illegal behavior? Damn right they are."