Border war over immigration comes to Midwest

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A routine city hall appointment threatens to turn Kansas City into a new front in the U.S. debate over illegal immigration, even though the closest Mexico border crossing is hundreds of miles (kilometers) away.

Anger has been simmering among Hispanic leaders since the summer, when newly elected Mayor Mark Funkhouser appointed Frances Semler, a dues-paying member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC), to the city’s parks and recreation board.

Critics say the group is a racist band of vigilantes patrolling the Mexican border with guns and intimidation.

“The Minuteman is an extremist group … espousing hate and sometimes violence,” said Janet Murguia, chief executive of The National Council of La Raza, the largest U.S. Hispanic advocacy group.

The Minutemen, who count about 9,000 members nationally and have a stated mission of helping apprehend “those who violate our borders,” counters that it wants only to uphold the law. It says opponents are the ones promoting hatred and law-breaking.

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Border war over immigration comes to Midwest
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