From the Catholic News Service wire
By Christina Lee Knauss
Catholic News Service
CONWAY, S.C. (CNS) -- A visit by a mobile Mexican consulate to a Catholic church in Conway drew hundreds of people seeking immigration services but also sparked a protest by activists opposed to illegal immigration.
Members of the Horry County chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and other local residents showed up to protest the consulate's visit because they said it helped Hispanics who were in the country illegally get fake identification.
Officials from the mobile consulate, based in Raleigh, N.C., said they were there to help Mexican nationals get valid cards called "matriculas" that could be used for travel or to prove identification in other situations.
Consulate staff set up their services at St. James Church Sept. 27. They were not open for business until 7:30 a.m., but more than a hundred people were already lined up outside the church by 6:45 a.m. Large crowds of people continued to gather at the church throughout the day.
The Minuteman group arrived early. They originally set up across the street from St. James, but had to move after two homeowners said they did not want the protesters in their yards or on a vacant lot one of them owned nearby.
Lt. Jay Brantly of the Horry County Police Department also told the protesters they didn't have permission from the county to hold a demonstration.
"They don't have the permission of these homeowners to be on private property, and they can't hold this protest on public land without a parade permit," Brantly said.
St. James is located on a quiet residential street about half a mile off U.S. 501.
The group of about 20 protesters were upset but eventually moved several hundred yards down the street to another lot after the homeowner gave them access. They stayed in that location until late afternoon, holding signs with anti-immigration slogans and some that criticized the Catholic Church and St. James for allowing the consulate's visit.
Michael Visnjic, leader of the Horry County Minuteman chapter, refused to be interviewed by The Catholic Miscellany, newspaper of the Charleston Diocese, because he said he had disagreements with the Catholic Church over its treatment of illegal immigrants and other issues.
Other protesters refused to give their names, and some said it was because they feared reprisals from pro-Mexican activists.
"I'm protesting the fact that the Mexican consulate is giving out fake IDs," said Ted Sejda, who said he was a Vietnam veteran who originally came from Philadelphia. "These people are using these IDs to get bank accounts and other things illegally. Illegals are overrunning the country."
The mobile Mexican consulate's workers were in Conway to provide photo ID cards, said Rosa Curto, a Raleigh-based Mexican consul who serves North and South Carolina.
To get the "matriculas," people had to provide original documents such as birth certificates which were checked against a database of Mexican records, she said.
"Every year we schedule our visits in areas where there is a large Mexican community," Curto said. "People can use these cards to prove their nationality. They have an official ID they can show to authorities and use to do things like cash a check."
Father Rick LaBrecque, pastor at St. James, said the church had invited the mobile consulate to visit. St. James serves a large Hispanic community in Conway and at its nearby mission church.
Georgetown and other neighboring counties have experienced large influxes of Hispanic residents in recent years.
"We knew it would be a real service to our community," he said. "This consulate provides people with a universally recognized ID. We mainly wanted to provide a service to our parishioners, but anyone who came for the services is welcome."
Father LaBrecque said Horry County police had notified him in advance that the Minuteman group planned a protest. The protesters were not permitted on church property, and there were no incidents involving protesters during the day.
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is a volunteer organization with state chapters around the country. Members provide local law enforcement agencies with what they say is evidence of violations of U.S. immigration law.
END
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