EVERETT – The Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist won’t mince words when he’s in Everett on Saturday talking about immigration.
An invasion of people entering the country illegally is under way, and the nation’s leaders are failing to act to stop it, Gilchrist said in an interview from his California home.
“They are occupying U.S. territory. So many people are coming here from Mexico who will take us over politically, culturally and economically,” said Gilchrist, who lives 50 miles north of the border.
He is the keynote speaker at the Illegal Immigration Summit organized by the Minutemen American Defense and The Reagan Wing, both Washington-based groups. The event is to begin at 4 p.m. with Gilchrist penciled in for a 7 p.m. appearance.
Saturday’s event is to also include appearances by Republican congressional hopeful Doug Roulstone of Snohomish and Snohomish County sheriff candidate Tom Greene. Representatives of Republican presidential candidates Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and California Rep. Duncan Hunter and potential candidate Fred Thompson, former senator from Tennessee, are to attend.
Gilchrist, 58, touched the nerve of the nation when he established the group in 2004 and set up monitoring posts on the border with Mexico to stop those trying to come across illegally.
He calls The Minuteman Project the world’s largest neighborhood watch. Critics brand it a vigilante group.
“In two and a half years, I’ve brought more awareness to the crisis than others did in 20 years,” he said. “But I’m not the panacea for the problem. I’m just the messenger.”
Most of the problem is the U.S.-Mexico border, he said.
“The dam break and rubble are down here. The northern border is still holding up,” Gilchrist said.
Today, chapters of the project exist in 18 states. There is also a raft of like-minded spinoffs such as the Minutemen American Defense, founded by Shawna Forde of Everett.
“He focuses on the border. We focus more on awareness through education and workshops,” Forde said. “We’re all Minutemen.”
She said her group aims to educate “Americans of what is happening to their country” as illegal immigrants snatch up jobs and receive publicly-funded health and social services.
“We need to support legal immigration. We need to stop illegal immigration,” said Forde, who is running for Everett City Council this fall against incumbent Councilman Drew Nielsen.
Forde said she expects the event will draw protesters.
Marcela Diaz of Everett, an immigration rights activist who’s helped organize marches in Seattle, said she knew of no plans for a protest.
Diaz learned of Gilchrist’s pending visit from The Herald and said she was surprised enough people in Everett subscribe to his gospel to stage an event.
“He makes very uneducated, very ignorant comments,” she said. “Anything he says I brush off my shoulder. The community does, too.
“Anything he says is pretty much racist talk,” she said.
Gilchrist’s response to such accusations: “The racism card is the last resort of a scoundrel who has lost his argument.”
He is due to arrive in the area Friday as the U.S. Senate completes a second arduous and argument-filled debate on reforming the nation’s immigration laws.
At stake is a bill to curb illicit border crossings and crack down on businesses hiring illegal immigrants. Its controversial elements are creation of a guest-worker program and offering a shot at legal status to many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.
Senators on Tuesday began voting on amendments to the bill backed by leading Democrats, Republicans and President Bush. A vote on the final version could occur Friday.
Gilchrist blasted the bill.
“I want absolute-without-exception enforcement of the law and that means force those here illegally to go home or be deported,” he said.
No doubt, he’ll have more to say Saturday.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
Meet Jim Gilchrist
Who: Jim Gilchrist, founder of The Minuteman Project
What: Illegal Immigration Summit
Where: Elks Lodge, 2731 Rucker Ave., Everett
When: 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Gilchrist speaks at 7 p.m.
Cost: $30
Information: www.minute menamericandefense.com or www.thereaganwing .com
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