ACLU to Keep Tabs on Protest

The American Civil Liberties Union has warned the 950 volunteers expected to take part next month in an Arizona border vigil against illegal immigration that it is assigning monitors to ensure none of the aliens are abused.

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Geronimo Gutierrez, undersecretary for North American affairs at Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, wrote that actions by the volunteers “could be in violation of federal and state laws to the detriment of Mexican citizens,” adding that Mexico did not want “the rights of its citizens transgressed.”

Meanwhile, the ACLU of Arizona announced it was training legal observers to follow and document the activities of the Minuteman volunteers.

“The purpose of legal observers is to deter abuses, document the actions of these individuals and highlight the real tragedies that occur along the border,” ACLU spokesman Ray Ybarra said. “Perhaps someday, we will live in a society where no human being will have to face death and hatred in pursuit of work that this country requires.”

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