Mixed views on immigration
Event at UNT sparks discussion on issue, but offends some Latino students
07:22 AM CST on Thursday, January 27, 2005
A student group's political demonstration, in which students who
captured people posing as illegal immigrants received a candy bar reward,
angered some University of North Texas students and amused others
Wednesday. The university's chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas held "Capture
an Illegal Immigrant Day" Tuesday on the UNT campus to call for tougher
enforcement on existing federal immigration laws. In conjunction with a table distributing literature, some members of
the group wore orange shirts that said "Illegal Immigrant" on the front
and "Catch me if U can" on the back. Anyone could check in at the table, receive a badge and go find the
"Illegal Immigrants" and receive literature and a reward -- a 100 Grand
candy bar. Chris Brown, the group's president, said illegal immigration hurts the
economy and threatens national security. "If they're going to be here, they need to become legal citizens,"
Brown said. "If the law is wrong, then it needs to be changed, but until
that happens, we need to follow the law." Some Latino students said they felt attacked by the display, despite
the assurances from the conservative group their message was not about
race or ethnicity. "They don't realize how the Latino culture has touched everyone's
lives," said Rene Garcia. "The Latino population has a bit of angst about
this." The Young Conservatives cited some cases where people linked with
al-Qaida have been found illegally in the United States. They also argued that illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans,
don't pay taxes and thus hurt the economy. As many as 40 students gathered around the group's display at one time,
arguing with the group Tuesday afternoon. Michele Connole, the group's publicity coordinator, said the event was
a success and was not intended to offend anyone. "If it offends you, and you don't want to talk about it, just walk by.
We're not going to stop just because somebody was offended," Connole said.
"Personally, breaking the law is offensive to me." The event never turned violent, and police patrolled the area but did
not interfere with the event. The UNT Dean of Students office schedules the events for the
university's designated free-speech areas. Ken Ballom, dean of students, said his office received one call about
the event from someone who commended it. The group's adviser, Dr. Steve Forde, a political science professor,
said the group did not consult with him before planning the event, and had
no reason to. He said he would have been out of line to tell them not to
do it, anyway. As people walked by, the group used a bullhorn to invite passersby to
"capture an illegal immigrant, get a candy bar." One student retorted: "No, thanks. My grandfather was one, and yours
probably was, too." Another simply shouted: "Awesome." Trevor Graham, a UNT student who stood at a distance to watch the event
and media coverage of it, said he didn't agree with the Young
Conservatives. "They've definitely got the wrong idea, but I can still laugh at it,"
he said. Aaron Feldsteen, another student, stopped by the table and discussed
the issues with the group. "They [illegal immigrants] are willing to do the jobs that most people
refuse to do," Feldsteen said. "I'm an anthropology major, and I don't
think anybody is going to come across our border illegally and take a job
away from me." Some members of the conservative student group said they agreed with
the political stance, but they didn't like the event. "Many of us on the campus realize that immigration is a huge problem,"
said Megan Svajda. "But a handful of us disagree with how the organization
went about discussing the issues. We felt the strategy behind it was a
little distasteful." Emma Guzman Ramon, the president of the Denton League of United Latin
American Citizens, said she believes the Young Conservatives of Texas
acted out of ignorance in staging their event. "Those illegal immigrants are only doing the jobs that unemployed
American citizens aren't doing," said Ramon, an immigration attorney based
in Denton. "If there wasn't a demand for them, they wouldn't be risking
their lives to come across." This isn't the first time a Young Conservatives group on a North Texas
college campus has caused controversy. In September 2003, Southern
Methodist University officials shut down a bake-sale demonstration by that
campus' Young Conservatives group. The sale, designed as a protest against
affirmative action, priced cookies according to customers' race. For
example, white males were charged $1 for a cookie, and blacks were charged
a quarter. Officials said they halted the sale because it created a
potentially unsafe situation for students. Staff writer Dave Moore contributed to this
report. MATTHEW ZABEL can be
reached at 940-566-6884. 