Other transcripts

Transcripts

August 16, 2004

Host: Michael Grant
Topics:
· Coalition to prevent deaths of illegal aliens trying to cross the Arizona border;
· Political machines; [This segment first aired July 20, 2004.]
· Congressman Ed Pastor [This segment first aired August 5 on HORIZONTE.]
In-Studio Guests:
· Congressman Ed Pastor

 

>>>Michael Grant:
Tonight on "Horizon", efforts to prevent deaths in the desert as migrants cross over the border. Congressman Ed Pastor says the Protect Arizona Now is anti-immigrant and he will fight to defeat it. And the political ground war is under way as Democrats and Republicans fight for your vote. Good evening, I'm Michael Grant. Social service organizations say since 1998 more than 2,000 illegal aliens have died trying to cross the Arizona desert. More than 100 since last October. Organized efforts to help prevent deaths range from the border patrol's own rescue crews to water stations put out by the organization humane borders. But this summer the responses Escalade through a coalition of groups called no more deaths. Ted Robbins has that story and the response to it.

>> Reporter:
An RV in an arroyo near Aravaca. The sign on the side is simple enough, welcome, it says in Spanish. Water, help. It is a welcome wagon for people who may be dieing.

>> Becky Graseck:
We have migrant packs in the back.

>> Reporter:
The RV has been dubbed an arc of the covenant by the coalition no more deaths. Jennifer hill arrives to restock the RV. With migrant packs. Unlike water stations or warning signs, the idea here is to have volunteers on site 24 hours a day. A human presence but only for migrants in serious trouble.

>>Becky Graseck:
That's really who we're looking for s people who have been separated from their group, people get left by somebody.

>> Reporter:
No more deaths is a nationwide coalition of social service and religious groups. Becky came here from Montana to stay for a week. Jennifer hill is from Detroit. She is a seminary student doing a summer internship at south side Presbyterian church in Tucson.

>> Jennifer Hill:
My personal faith-based motivation for doing this work is that I see the crucified Christ in every migrant that I encounter at the church, in the migrants I encounter on Samaritan trips, the migrants we've brought to this ARK, that God's biblical call to love the stranger as yourself, as your neighbor, because you yourself were once strangers in Egypt rings loud and clear in this suffering.

>> Reporter:
Some arks are on public land. This ark is on private land, land owned by author Byrd Baylor. Baylor gave her permission for humanitarian reasons.

>>Byrd Baylor:
I'm not religious. I don't need that to help people. We're talking about keeping people from dieing right now, and somebody did die less than a quarter of a mile from this -- from my house here last summer on the 4th of July. So there's no way I would turn them down.

>> Jennifer Hill:
This will be a place where local people, our neighbors, can bring people in distress for recovery, which has happened. The other purpose would be when samaritans and other folks that are out in their cars can bring people to ARK for recovery and our hope is they would be strategically placed in the flow of a migrant trail so that people could come to the ARK when they need help.

>> Becky Graseck:
If we don't encounter anybody around here, we can ask somebody in town where the road is.

>> Reporter:
Many of the volunteers are also part of the organization "samaritan patrol" which actively seeks migrants in distress. Jennifer and Vicki drive where it's evident. It is this active searching that has led to criticism from anti-immigration groups. Glen Spencer heads American patrol.

>> Glenn Spencer:
I think that steps over the line and I believe this is aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime.

>> Byrd Baylor
: If we come to a time when it's illegal to give somebody water or medical aid or a little food for their -- when they're in desperate need, we've got more problems than just this.

>>Glenn Spencer:
If they are assisting people in need, that is one thing. If they -- I understand the law.

>>John Fife:
They don't have to report these people to the border patrol. If they gave them assistance in transporting them, that's illegal. The law is very ambiguous, which is part of the problem. It's open to wide interpretation, because what the law says is it's illegal to help someone who is here without documents in -- the words are "in furtherance of their illegal presence.

>> Reporter:
John Fife is the long-time pastor of the church. He says despite the ambiguity, volunteers are careful not to cross the line to illegality.

>> John Fife:
We meet with the border patrol every year. We give them our protocols. We discuss them with them. And this year, we have reached an agreement.

>> Andy Adame
: It appears that offering water and food is -- there's nothing illegal about that. You know, where we don't want to see the lawful citizen cross the shrine where they're actually transporting them out of the area.

>> Reporter:
The border patrol says it will not stop "no more deaths," but likewise it will not support or aid the efforts.

>> Andy Adame:
If we see migrants, potential migrants in and around those campsites, we will question them, and if we do find any evidence of any type of smuggling activities going on, we will take the appropriate law enforcement actions.

>> Reporter:
In addition to the humanitarian aid, it is that broader border policy that no more deaths hopes High light.

>> Jennifer Hill:
By our presence in the desert, either one migrant stops here or 100, that we are witness to this failed policy that U.S. border patrol says we are saving lives that this strategy is working and we're here to say, this is what is happening, and to monitor the effectiveness of the border patrol strategy.

>>John Fife:
The whole history of scripture in my tradition says that if someone's life is in danger, you have to help them, even at the risk of your own life. Let alone some minor inconvenience.

>> Reporter:
Political, personal or spiritual, these volunteers say they intend to be a presence in the desert until there are no more deaths.

>> Michael Grant:
In the most recent KAET/ASU poll nearly 3 quarter of those polled said they would vote in favor of protect Arizona now. That initiative would deny state and local welfare services to illegal immigrants. It would also require individuals to show proof of citizenship when they vote. Also several bills relating to the immigration question are currently before Congress. HORIZONTE's José Cárdenas spoke with Congressman Ed Pastor about that legislation and about the democratic candidate for president senator John Kerry, for whom Pastor is campaigning.

>> José Cárdenas:
Starting here at home, what impact do you think the pan initiative will have assuming it gets on the ballot on the presidential race and vice versa. What impact will the presidential race have on whether the pan initiative act succeeds.

>> Ed Pastor:
I think what's going to happen, if it gets on the ballot, and I think first of all, you have to make sure there's enough signatures, I think there will be a court test to determine whether or not the issue is a single issue as required by the Supreme Court and its holdings, but fit comes on the ballot, I think it's going to energize a lot of Hispanic voters, which I think will tend to vote for the democratic ticket because you'll see the Republican party not really supporting the Hispanic community.

>> José Cárdenas:
Now, a similar measure, at least in terms of its targeted group, in California prop 187 a few years ago did attract a lot of Hispanic votes. Do you expect the same thing?

>> Ed Pastor:
I would hope so.

>> José Cárdenas:
There they were supporting the measure. Do you think there will be a lot of people supporting the --

>> Ed Pastor:
I think in the end people will see this as divisive, antimexican-American, antilatino. We will make it that way and work hard to defeat it.

>> José Cárdenas:
Back in Washington, immigration is a big their. There's a proposal by the Hispanic caulk is us on immigration. It's a competing bill as I understand to the Kolbe-McCain-flake bill. Tell us about it. It.

>> Ed Pastor:
Looks at the situation, and, first of all, let me give credit to congressman flake and congressman Kolbe and Senator McCain. They know that there's a problem. They have attempted to give a solution. I believe that -- where I don't support that is that you have people that have been here for many years, and you should allow those people who have been here for five years, have not had a problem with the law, have been working, that they should have a path to earned legalization quicker than what the flake-Kolbe bill does. You have to wait almost six, seven years, sometimes almost eight years for people that have been living here all along. If you've lived here, you've worked here, you've had no problems with the law, then I think that we should start recognizing that that's something that someone we want to keep in this country, and let them -- they've earned their right to be here, so let's create a path so they can legalize.

>> José Cárdenas:
What are the odds we'll see either bill passed this legislative session?

>> Ed Pastor:
What happened when President Bush came -- his administration came into power, he met with Vicente fox and said, you know, we're going to do something about immigration, at least to the Mexican population. 9/11 came, he backed off. Most recently he adopted the flake-McCain-Kolbe bill and he got burned. He got burned by his conservative element. So I think right now because of the politics of it, I don't think he's going to touch it or wanted to anything because he doesn't want to lose any of his conservative base.

>> José Cárdenas:
You're one of three co-chairs for the DNC. Tell us about what you did and what that meant to you personally.

>> Ed Pastor:
Well, it was an honor. I was called by the senator about a month ago and said would you be willing to serve on this team? And I said, sure. It's a great honor. And so leading up to the convention we talked about strategy, some of the themes, who would be possible speakers, so we got involved a little bit in that, and then when the convention -- my job was basically to do the Latino constituents, Latino delegates. Also feedback to Arizona with satellites, TV and radio, and then serve as a surrogate speaker at the different caucuses. So this is a convention they had me working rather than -- I was not partying the hill a lot, can I tell you that.

>> José Cárdenas:
But you also spoke at the convention. What was that like?

>> Ed Pastor:
This is the second time I've done it. I was able to do it in Chicago and so I had a little experience, but it's still a thrill. You look down and see thousands of delegates, they're all yelling and screaming, but they tell you, you're not talking to them, you're talking to the TV audience, don't yell, don't scream and just keep going forward.

>> José Cárdenas:
You were with Senator Kerry Kerry from the start and you must have been a little surprised f you think back where the campaign was a year ago and being there at the convention, did you reflect on that --

>> Ed Pastor:
Not really. I always was the attitude, and we had good friends in different campaigns, that at the end come the democratic convention we're all going to be one team, and so like Raul Grijalva was with Dean, and he played a prominent role --

>> José Cárdenas:
Now that you mention that, you weren't the only prominent Arizona. You have congressman Grijalva and our Governor Janet Napolitano. What does that mean for the State of Arizona?

>> Ed Pastor:
Well, if you see -- if you've seen the latest "Arizona Republic" survey, it shows that the race is very tight in Arizona, and bill Clinton won it when he ran eight years ago, and I think gore could have won it when he was here but decided not to campaign. So I think every state's important, and because Arizona in the west has changed so much in terms of demographics, that it's winnable and they're devoting, they, the campaign, a lot of time, effort and so we think we can win Arizona.

>> José Cárdenas:
And your prominence and Congress congressman Grijalva's reflects the importance of the Latino vote for this election.

>> Ed Pastor:
You start with bill Richardson, governor Richardson, being the convention chair, and then the number of speakers, we had Congress woman Hilda SOLIZ, we had Gloria Huerta, if you dough list the list, Bob Menendez, the democratic caucus chair. We had a number Hispanics and, yes, I think if you look at the makeup of the delegations, 600 Hispanics were there representing the Hispanic community. So the delegations of Hispanics Latinos was large and probably the largest in any convention. So the delegates themselves, the speakers, the emphasis, it was all there to have a greater outreach to the Latino community.

>> José Cárdenas:
In his new book, Jorge Ramos says the Latino vote will decide this election. Do you agree with that?

>> Ed Pastor:
I agree with that because we have new immigrants, we now have -- we have a very young population in our community, and so we have a bigger population and the key is going to be to get them out to vote. We're going to work very hard on it.

>> José Cárdenas:
Going back to the convention, the most important speech, of course, was John Kerry's. What was your opinion of that?

>> Ed Pastor:
Actually, I heard it over TV because I had been invited to be on the podium after he finished the speech, and so I was down at the bottom of the podium listening to it on TV. I could hear the reaction of the people outside because I was in close proximity. Everybody expected him to do a great speech, and he came through.

>> José Cárdenas:
The pundits were saying that one of the things he needed to accomplish was to tell the people of America who he is. Do you think he accomplished that?

>> Ed Pastor:
Well, I think he has been doing that all along. I think he has been doing it throughout the primary campaign. We talked about being a Vietnam veteran, his history in the Senate, and he also had to tell America what he proposed to do. So in an hour it's very difficult to do all things but I think he accomplished it.

>> José Cárdenas:
What about those proposals, healthcare and a lot of other areas that he's going to be focusing on, do you think that those are commitments can he deliver on if he is --

>> Ed Pastor:
Yes, and I think he bit the bullet and he said, right now, this administration, the bush administration, has decided to give the largest tax breaks to multi-millionaire, to the millionaires, and if we roll back partially that tax break, we will find monies to fund healthcare, educational programs, and so it's just a determination.

>> Michael Grant:
Regarding the tax cuts, the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign says the president acted decisively to help create jobs and get Americans back to work. They say there is widespread evidence that his policies have worked. The Republican convention will commence a couple of weeks from tonight in New York. Of course, for months Republicans and Democrats have been appealing for votes in the swing State of Arizona. Producer Larry Lemmons shows us a side of the campaign we don't always see, the ground war.

>> Reporter:
Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. We're familiar with the big picture of politics, the heartfelt waves, the poignant embraces. This is the view from the ground. Peggy and Mario Martinez are foot soldiers in the ground war of the presidential election. They are canvassers for America coming together. They go door to door using the latest in palm technology, asking registered voters what issues are most important to them.

>> Voter:
The healthcare right now.

>> Healthcare. Great. And with the second most important issue, what -- what do you think is the second most important issue?

>> Voter:
The right Iraqi war.

>> Reporter:
Sometimes they get what they want. Sometimes they don't.

>> Voter:
No.

>> Mario Martinez:
We'll just ask. ESTODO.

>> Reporter:
sustaining them on this July day is their passion for their work.

>> Peggy Plewes:
I believe the more voters involved in the electoral process, the more they're paying attention to the issues that concern them, the more likely we'll get a government next time that represents what Americans say they care about.

>> Mario Martinez:
The reason I got involved is I think it's important that the voters get involved and get this country turned around.

>> Reporter:
America coming together, or act, is a 527. 527 refers to the Internal Revenue code governing the groups. They attempt to benefit campaigns. They been it from an alleged loophole in campaign finance reform.

>> Michael Frias:
The purpose of campaign finance reform is to put up a wall between the federal candidates and soft money and that's what effectively has been done. We don't communicate with the state party or federal candidates, but we do have our 527s like America votes that coordinate the efforts of other 527s or 501C4s and you have the media fund, you have act, America coming together, and you also have what's called the thunder road group, which is a research body. We're all considered in someway, shape or form a 527. So we're able to share resources with each other.

>> Reporter:
Those resources can be substantial. While campaign finance reform limits amount of money a candidate can receive from donors, there is no limit to money a 527 can receive, and even no there can be no money or contact between a 527 and a political candidate, there is no doubt what act's goal is.

>> Michael Frias:
I think we share a common goal in our willfulness to defeat George Bush.

>>Jim Pedersen:
It's a regrettable outcome, perhaps an unintended consequence. Of McCain-Feingold that they've taken a lot of resources away from state parties that are tightly regulated, there are caps, we can't accept money, it has to be reported almost immediately to the independent commit's where you don't have the control. That unintended consequence was shifting the resources to more independent resources where you don't know who is contributing, you don't know who is in charge.

>> Reporter:
Conservatives have their own 527s like progress for America but they're not so well established on the ground. The local Bush-Cheney campaign hits the phones to drum up support.

>> Volunteer:
There is Florence rice and I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of Bush Cheney --

>> Reporter:
All grass roots campaigns rely on enlisting and organizing volunteers. Obviously volunteers are more politically motivated than most people. Many times they start their political education early and tend to feel more idealistic about the political process.

>> Myron Moton:
When I started when I was like 14, I would -- I would do phone banks for President Reagan back in my hometown where I grew up, but my mom she stopped me from doing it because I was -- she was a Democrat, and she didn't like that. She did not like that.

>>Florence Brice:
I taught school for 32 years and after teaching students that you need to take part in democracy, this is something I'm able to do.

>> Vance Phillips:
I think a lot of people, especially younger people, not that I'm old myself, but don't understand the importance of being able to vote what -- what a gift it truly is to be able to vote and to do your part for what you believe in.

>> Lisa James:
President Bush unlike any campaign I've ever seen motivates people, gets to their heart, speaks to their spirit and they're dedicated to be here.

>> Volunteer:
What does everyone think of our new ticket?

>> Reporter:
Democrats, of course, have their devoted volunteers as well.

>> Ana Ma:
Volunteers are crucial to our efforts. Right now, what we've been used to in the past is people paying people. That's changed because of campaign finance. And so everybody, we depend on the volunteers 110%.

>> Reporter:
Making signs the night before a political event, volunteers from many primary campaigns now gather for a common goal.

>> Sue Castner:
My title is special assistant, and that meant basically that I did what nobody else wanted to or could do, and that's why I volunteered. If you need somebody to go out and stand in 107 degree heat with a sign, I will do it. If need someone to organize, I will do that. I don't ask anybody to do something I haven't done.

>>Vanessa Gonzalez:
I am here because of my experience in Washington and seeing what President Bush and his lack of leadership has done to our community. I was utterly frustrated at good law that should have gone into effect that didn't for political reasons. And for political bargaining, which should never have been put in that position.

>> Volunteer:
Right now we've got a dozen people -- we've got a dozen people signed up to host house parties on this national women for Kerry day.

>> Reporter:
Working behind the volunteers of both parties are the local campaign organizers who direct the energy.

>> Ana Ma:
From hosting house parties, getting as many neighbors and friends and co-workers to look at the Kerry-Edwards ticket and getting them to commit to vote for the team.

>> Lisa James:
We are going to reach out. I found by knocking on people's doors or at least events, for instance, at 4th of July weekend we were at more than 25 events throughout the state and parades and booths in different places. So those are things we're doing. We're organizing our coalitions' efforts, ranchers, farmers.

>> Reporter:
The efforts of all the volunteers are folk you had to promote party or candidate's message.

>> Jaime Malera:
I think with this campaign we're looking add it twofold. The big piece is going to be the grass roots effort, neighbors talking to neighbors. Of course, there's mass media, which is what you have to do. That's how you touch everyone.

>> Reporter:
Sometimes called spin, the message is everywhere from T-shirts to posters.

>> Jim Pedersen:
The parties are going to do that, the candidates will do that, they will try to spin the issue, try to spin their strengths, try to minimize their weaknesses. That's what the campaign is all about.

>> Jaime Malera:
Remember, spin happens on both sides, not just from the politicians and the campaigns, but from the media.

>> Reporter:
Which is why it's essential for campaigns to try to get as much favorable attention from the media as possible.

>> Kerry Volunteer:
The feedback I got from the folks in Tucson is that the television interviews went very well for us.

>>Michael Frias:
Sandra called and said the protest was good.

>> Volunteer:
Really?

>> Michael Frias:
Yeah.

>> Volunteer:
Were there cameras rolling?

>> Michael Frias:
There were two cameras there.

>> Reporter:
And the media includes the internet. On the internet you can see antibush ads from the media fund. Pro Bush from George W. Bush.com. And Anti-Kerry message from the Republican national convention. A pro Kerry ad from John Kerry.com. The message is refined and delivered. Meanwhile, back on the ground, canvassers more often than not come across not so much opposition as apathy.

>> Mario Martinez:
The purpose of our organization is to get voters to vote in the upcoming election. We're not selling anything. Are you registered to vote?

>> apathetic man:
Yes, I am.

>> Mario Martinez:
Would you mind if we asked you a few questions about what you feel is important in the election?

>> apathetic man:
I'm not really into politics, to tell you the truth.

>> Reporter:
Which is a stark contrast to the men and women involved in the campaigns from top to bottom. There's probably no better way to describe them than passionate and devoted.

>> Jaime Molera:
Simple reason for me why I'm a Republican. That is how I grew up. I grew up in Nogales, border town, mother raised four boys on her own, she refused to take any kind of governmental aid because she felt it was her responsibility, her job, to help raise her sons and worked hard to do that. That was embodied in me. To me, that's what the Republican party stands for. I became a big fan of president bush when he was then governor. I had opportunity of meeting him with Governor Hull and they got to be friends and our styles work together on a number of different issues. I was impressed with the man because he just had the kind of values that I think was important.

>> Jim Pedersen:
I've always been a Democrat. You know, Eileen toward my party's views on most of the issues. I'm not an extremist. I'm a very moderate middle of the road pragmatic person and I prefer that approach to politics. I think most people do. I think most people are moderate. They don't want a rigid ideology from their government and leaders. They want practical -- we've gotten away from that where most of the decisions, most of the effort and energy is based on ideology, not practical solutions to the problems we all face as Americans and Arizonans.

>> Reporter:
So it's clear that despite the conflicting messages coming from both parties, they do emphatically agree on one point n a viable democracy, it's imperative that we exercise our democratic right. The right to vote.

>> Michael Grant:
Thank you very much for joining us on "Horizon" this evening. I'm Michael Grant. Have a great one. Good night.

Back to the top