Jim Walsh The Arizona Republic Mar. 22, 2006 12:00 AM
A surprise appearance by the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps on Tuesday at a Mesa hotbed for undocumented workers sparked a spontaneous protest.
Members of a Mesa family shouted "Viva la Raza," Spanish for "long live the race," and carried signs at Broadway Road and Mesa Drive in response to a group of eight to 10 Minutemen, who appeared at the corner about 9 a.m.
Members of the group, which opposes illegal immigration, also photographed people who were picking up those waiting for work at the corner. advertisement
"We're saying Arizona is a right-to-work state, so let them work," said Pauline Vega, 40, of Mesa.
But Stacey O'Connell, Arizona state director for the Minutemen, said his group plans protests against undocumented workers at sites in Mesa every Tuesday and has done so for three weeks.
"The purpose is to protest day laborers standing on street corners without fear of deportation," O'Connell said. "We take photos to highlight the contractors who are hiring them."
O'Connell said the Minutemen turn the photos over to federal immigration officials, but conceded that little or no action has been taken against them.
"We've achieved so much by protesting in Phoenix," he said, with additional police patrols added to 36th Street and Thomas Road, where undocumented workers often gather.
The Minutemen held weekly protests at the store every Saturday for several weeks last fall and winter.
Vega and other family members held up hastily made signs reading, "The right to work, leave us alone," and "Not our fault Americans don't want to work."
Numerous drivers honked their horns in an apparent sign of support. Workers said the Minutemen's appearance didn't frighten them. At least 100 workers were standing or sitting on sidewalks.
"They are trying to intimidate us, but that didn't work," said Filiberto Lopez, 34, one of the workers. "That's not the way to solve the problem."
Seferino Garcia, 25, another worker, said, "We're just hanging around, looking for a job here. That's all we want."
Joe Kerby, manager of nearby Kerby's Furniture, said the workers generally respect no trespassing and no day labor pickup signs in its parking lot.
Although they cause few problems directly, the undocumented workers still aren't good for business, Kerby said. "Some customers get nervous coming in."
One or two police cruisers responded to calls about the incident, but officers only observed.
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