Illegal Immigration Coming to Small Town America

Article by George Dahl and Frosty Wooldridge

November 4, 2003

Austin, Minnesota with 22,000 residents is like any other middle-class, blue-collar town in America. Soccer moms cheer from the sidelines, bake sales abound, folks play bingo on Wednesday nights, paperboys throw papers, cheerleaders practice after school and dads take their kids to the old fishing hole. It's also home to Hormel Foods and Quality Pork Products where generations of citizens worked at and supported the meat processing plants. They earned living wages with health benefits and made Hormel one of the most trusted names in America.

But ten years ago, something happened in Austin. The meat packing plants began transporting illegal aliens from Texas to work in the plants around Austin. Why? To increase profits. At first, it didn't mean much because the illegal aliens worked at odd jobs. They didn't complain because they feared being deported. Their numbers were so small that the regular workers didn't take notice.

That changed as the years passed. As ten illegals turned into 100 and then into 1000, and now over 3,000, Austin, Minnesota suffers accelerating problems. Once Austin kids skipped to school to learn their ABC's. Today, they experience several foreign languages they can't understand. At first, the teachers had the top kids in the class try to teach the 'new' kids how to speak English. But as the food processing plants kept importing more workers and more kids, the teachers suffered the onslaught. Today, classroom teachers must deal with languages, head lice, hepatitis and the threat of tuberculosis because illegal aliens and their children bypass health screening at the border. Last year, eight police officers in Austin tested positive for tuberculosis.

Along with the illegal aliens came drugs, driving without driver's licenses, lack of health insurance, non-citizens using medical facilities on taxpayer's money, safe houses where illegals sleep 20 to a house, and a growing tension in the community.

The city leaders, at first, tried to accommodate the incursion into Austin. But, slowly, steadily, jobs vanished and if an Austin citizen complained--an illegal alien would take his place. The workplace, where standards were once upheld, now became a dangerous place where safety violations were overlooked and common place. At first the papers reported the drunk, drugged and disorderly that were arrested as 'illegal aliens', but soon, they became 'undocumented workers'. A few townspeople stood up to protest at schools and community meetings but were shouted down by being called 'racists'.

Finally, one citizen stood up at a local meeting, "Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a bank robber an 'unauthorized withdrawal' expert. Does anyone realize what a wonderful nation we created? We open our doors to the weak and downtrodden out of the goodness of our hearts. I don't think my grandparents expected existing Americans to pay for their babies or to celebrate Norwegian days or Viking celebrations. Immigrants wanted to learn English and become Americans. Not today. It's a huge problem for Austin because we speak English but we're being forced to speak other languages in our own community. We're paying through the nose to educate another country's kids. When did law enforcement start looking the other way and why? Why to the detriment of American citizens in Austin?"

He continued, "If something is not done to stop illegal immigration soon, we will have a crisis in Austin that will force us into becoming another Third World town full of trash, drugs, gangs and worse. It's already happening. All this is done in the name of corporate greed at the meat packing plants."

"Excuse me," he said, "But don't our elected officials and law enforcement officers take an oath of office to enforce the constitution and the laws of the land? I find it a little unsettling when officials do not prosecute laws. What is exasperating is that our elected officials and law enforcement agencies refuse to act. Why would our politicians wish to encourage illegal immigration when anyone with eyes can see what it has done to California?

"My advice to the leaders of America entrusted with the future of our nation is to stand up honestly and courageously for American workers, consumers, voters and investors. We're sick of their ignoring laws, putting corporations before people, and politicians from hell. I do not remember learning these tactics and methods in Social Studies or History while attending Austin High School, Austin, Minnesota."

Since in excess of 10,000,000 illegal aliens have invaded America, with 800,000 more annually, Austin's story is being played out in small towns across America. It's serious and spreading fast. It's like a cancer that is small at first, but if not treated or removed, spreads to all parts of the body. California is the first state in the union with 4,000,000 illegal aliens. By degree, those problems accelerate across America into towns like Austin, MN, Cadillac, MI, Midland,TX, Valdosta, GA, Barstow, CA, Scio, Oregon and thousands more.

Small town America created this country. It gave up its sons and daughters in a war to overthrow colonialism. New leaders stepped forward. However, there was a moment at the birth of this country when George Washington could have quit and gone home. Thomas Jefferson could have enjoyed the safety of Monticello. Betsy Ross could have stopped stitching. Paul Revere might have decided to not take that fateful ride. But they stepped up for their country. From every unknown soldier at Valley Forge and the bloody battle fields of World War II, to the jungles of Vietnam and Iraq, men and women of America have stood up to birth and defend this nation. Today, we face an invasion of an 'unarmed army' of millions that can and will defeat this nation if we stand still-if we're afraid to act-if we stop stitching-if we don't make that ride.

Watching that man at the town meeting was no different than the men at the Boston Tea Party. He stood up. Since our leaders won't lead, won't act, won't do what they were elected to do-it's time small town America or any town America--stand up for these United States-and take action from every quarter, every household, every citizen. Like Lincoln in his darkest hour--he decided to make a stand for his country when he said, "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth."

George Dahl is an average American citizen in Austin, Minnesota. Frosty Wooldridge is an average teacher and author who has bicycled 100,000 miles on six continents to see overpopulation up close and ugly. His latest book is: 'STRIKE THREE! TAKE YOUR BASE'. This book is about dads, moms, teens, baseball and the early loss of a parent through death or divorce. For teens gasping for answers, this book gives them a path toward a passionate life and positive attitude. For more information to take action at the national level, you may go to www.numbersusa.com or write the author for local web sites to take local action in your state. This is your country and your kids' future.

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