Protest claims are unsavory

Laguna Beach is on the radar of those who vigorously oppose illegal

immigration and want the city to close down the Job Center on Laguna

Canyon Road.

These folks -- some of whom are local but most of whom are not --

got a lot of press a few months ago when they picketed the Job

Center, demanding it be shut down and taking pictures of people

hiring the men who gather there to find work.

Now they are on the case of the Festival of Arts, because the

festival, like many other local organizations, gives money to the

city, which then gives some to the Cross Cultural Council, which runs

the Job Center.

Now we learn that among the protesters Saturday at the Festival

were leaders of the Minutemen, a band of armed vigilantes who think

they can do a better job of patrolling the borders than the Border

Patrol.

As for the Job Center, they want to roll up what they see as a

welcome mat for illegal immigrants, who they say are taking jobs away

from local folks who need them. We think this claim is unfounded and

absurd, and the race-baiting aspect of their campaign is unsavory and

un-American.

We should remind people why the Job Center was founded and why its

services are so important.

The Laguna Beach Job Center is a favorite with those who need the

services of such places because Lagunans tend to pay more than people

in other cities.

The Job Center attracts dozens of men, mostly, who may or may not

be undocumented, or illegal, immigrants. The Job Center operators

don’t ask -- and don’t really care -- if they are helping people who

are in the country without papers.

The Job Center is helpful to the job-seekers and also to residents

and businesses who don’t want to have to deal with people flagging

down vehicles that look likely to be hiring people for temporary

work, or loitering on street-corners waiting for work.

The fact is that people who are desperate enough for work to

travel many miles to another country will do just about anything to

get it, and the Job Center is a way to make the whole process safe

and orderly.

Shutting down the Job Center won’t make the job-seekers -- or

undocumented immigrants -- go away. It will only bring back the

problems for which the Job Center was created.

People from other countries have been coming to our shores for

generations seeking to better themselves, and they also contribute to

our economy as producers, consumers, and yes, even taxpayers. Many of

our own ancestors were immigrants -- even if your family dates all

the way back to the time of the Mayflower.