A group called America First! plans a rally to protest illegal immigration and promote stronger border protection in Laguna Beach on Sunday, Aug. 20, police said.
The group has held three prior events in Laguna without incident, police Sgt. James Cota said Monday.
“They say they are there to create awareness for American citizens that have been victims from illegal immigrants,” said Cota, who did not immediately identify the organizer. “This is not a big deal at all.”
Cota said the America First! organizer informs police of a planned rally in advance, but has not asked for police protection.
Those involved in a July 30 America First! rally waved U.S. flags and held a banner that read, “No more victims. Secure our borders,” as seen in a Youtube video. Others in the video described their support for the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including the president’s proposal for a border wall with Mexico.
There is no place in Laguna for ignorance or hate. The people in charge of this rally are not from Laguna. Tell them to take their poison somewhere else.
Mr. Straub, stop your grandstanding nonsense. Laguna Beach doesn’t have the common sense to innoculate its children against common diseases, and came in last in the county in protecting them. Ignorance writ very large. As for hate, you and your fellow liberals seethe with hate for President Trump and the rule of law.
Bill Clinton preceded Donald Trump by two decades in Clinton’s SOTU speech of 1995, which received multiple standing ovations from the joint session of congress. Here is the relevant portion for you to read and blow a head gasket over:
All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected, but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.
In the budget I will present to you we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.
We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.
It’s understandable that the authorities don’t want to cause panic, by using language such as “This is not a big deal at all,” but frankly, after last weekend’s horrific event at a rally in NC organized by the same group, we should be much more wary of groups espousing thinly veiled bigotry. “America First” is clearly one such group – at the very least it will attract a racist and possibly violent element. As an immigrant and a Jew, I feel obliged to attend in protest. I wish it were not so. My people’s history shows what happens when we don’t resist en masse. I am eternally grateful to the huge majority of Lagunans who have judged me on my merit as a human being and not by the universal lottery of my culture and/or location of birth.
Agree with Jason Feddy. Even if these groups have assembled and been ignored in Laguna before, they have become emboldened and energized by the events that took place last weekend. There is video on FB from a young man on FB representing this organization. In his video he calls upon his racist comrades to come out against “immigrants and illegals,” gays , feminists and “rich people.” Please be careful. This rally could attract a larger and darker element. Truly hope not.
Hey, mr. Jaegermeister, you can defend this America First group, but I have actually seen posts by members supporting this group, including their personal Facebook pages. They are RACISTS. Period. Scary, unhinged racists like we saw in Virginia a few days ago. You may have a desire to control immigration, but these creeps are about more than that. Additionally, why the need for such a so-called anti-immigrant protest? Didn’t you get what you wanted…a president building a wall, deportations of people who came here decades ago, proposals for cutting legal immigration in half. Or is this just a ruse to get together with fellow racists, wear khakis, nazi armbands, and MAGA hats with witless, privileged, troubled white boy teenagers?
From their own event page:
“Attention all who threaten: The police in all of Orange County, including Laguna Beach, are on our side. Johnny has been in contact with them for the past month, and screenshots of all online threats will be handed over to them. Thank you.”
Dear LBPD: Are you “on their side”? Really? Because I think a large segment of your population don’t really want the alt-right running racist rallies waving their Kekistan flags in the center of our tourist community that should be welcoming everyone.
How about a vigil for people who have been killed by American terrorists? Sorry, but these America First people are activists looking for confrontation. Look up their social media accounts. Free speech, yes, hate- No!
When they (Communist East Germany) decided to, in secret, start putting up the Iron curtain cross the land, “popularly” known as the Berlin Wall NO civilians wanted it! When I visited East Berlin 1979 it was no joke, now a front running city (West Berlin lost its lure long before). That wall was in concrete, and NOT high enough to block the view between loved ones. For private trumpeters to want a wall blocking south and north is just silly.
Alt Left and Alt Right are Extremists, pure and simple and have a right to their opinions in private but I am like most of America, somewhere in the middle and welcome, unlike extremists, compromise. This is simple. I live here with my family and do not want extremists of Either side interfering with my right to not hear them in an organized fashion in my backyard. They like any individual are welcome, an organized function is not. Whoever approved this must be removed from the decision making authority in the City I pay taxes to support.
Unless I am looking at the wrong America First Facebook page, it looks fairly mainstream conservative and a far cry from those awful people (on both sides) at Charlottesville. Do you people know any conservatives? Just because people disagree with the Left’s position on policy does not make one a racist. Calling Americans who might be concerned about the high levels of immigration “racists” or “Nazis” or whatever name is popular at the moment, is a tactic to silence their legitimate disagreement with your views on the issue. It’s hard to believe that silencing opposing viewpoints is a Progressive value that should be fostered by our unique community. Americans of all stripes have a constitutional right to assembly (as opposed to rioting) and the right to free speech. I do hope the Laguna police are committed to protecting these rights of all people at the rally on Sunday. Peace!
I have to say, after looking at Benitez’s Facebook page, as opposed to the America First Facebook page, I must call Benitez out for referring to Toni Iseman as a Jewish woman. He has a right to say it, but I don’t like it. Has he hijacked the group America First that is coming to Laguna? In any case, the city is to be commended for showing tolerance to views that decent people find repellent. The First Amendment protects offensive speech. Indeed, it is by hearing it and disagreeing with it (not shouting it down) can we have clarity of thought, hear actual bigotry, formulate arguments against it and perhaps soften some hardened hearts. Peace!