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May 13, 2008

Exclusive: Not Even Litter Pickup Safe from Border Politics

Pam Meister

Many states have Adopt-a-highway programs, where civic groups who apply to participate are assigned a stretch of road (usually one or two miles) and are then responsible for keeping it free of litter. The area is marked with a sign bearing the group's name alongside the road.

It's an admirable program that helps keep our roadways clean while giving the civic groups involved not only a chance to further assist the community, but also a little free publicity. However, it stops being admirable when petty political maneuverings get in the way.

In California's San Diego County, the Minutemen of San Diego had been keeping a stretch of road clear of refuse for six weeks. In January, the sign with their name was removed because state legislators complained of its placement - "near a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 5, the main artery carrying illegal migrants north from the U.S.-Mexico border." The attorneys for the state contend that it's a safety issue for both drivers and the Minutemen members collecting trash from demonstrators or vandals. 

It's ironic that the Minutemen would be assigned that particular part of the road, but such assignments are arbitrary. The Minutemen are famous (or infamous, depending upon your point of view) for their efforts to patrol the border between Mexico and the United States and help stem the tide of illegal aliens that seems to be beyond the capability of an understaffed Border Patrol. They began, according to their website, as a result of failing to "get a neglectful U.S. government to simply enforce existing immigration laws." Their detractors often refer to the Minutemen as racist. 

The Minutemen asked a judge at a hearing last Friday for the sign to be put back. 

Among those with complaints about the Minutemen being part of the Adopt-a-Highway project is California assemblywoman Lori Saldana (D-San Diego), which is somewhat surprising, as she supports cleanup efforts and other environmental issues on her website.

Yet Saldana is considering proposing legislation that would put a hold on new highway sponsorships until standards are developed regarding who is allowed to participate in the program. Saldana was quoted after Friday's hearing: "We want them to say what constitutes a legitimate group. Do we want these people allowed on a highway near a security checkpoint?"

"These people?"

Saldana poses an interesting question, though: what constitutes a legitimate group in the eyes of the DOT? And who gets to decide? One might wonder if Saldana would question the legitimacy of the National Council of La Raza, a group that supports driver's licenses and in-state tuition discounts for illegal aliens while opposing a secure border fence, among other things. Technically, they are a legitimate group. But whether you agree with their cause is another question altogether. But if they were to apply for the Adopt-a-Highway program, would state legislators or anyone else complain? And if a complaint was lodged, what would public response be?

In 2005 in Missouri, courts decided against Missouri officials who wanted to keep the Ku Klux Klan out of the Adopt-a-Highway program there "under a regulation prohibiting groups that deny membership based on race or with a documented history of violence." So the state decided to rename the highway after Rosa Parks.

I suspect that the politically incorrect message of the Minutemen is at issue here, not worries about their safety from demonstrators or vandals (which had not been an issue during the six weeks the Minutemen were maintaining their section of highway). Rather than use the topic as a jumping off point for more dialogue on the subject, California legislators would rather shut the Minutemen out of the debate altogether.

And I wouldn't be surprised if there are fewer groups who apply to be a part of California's Adopt-a-Highway program when all is said and done. Who wants to be subject to vetting by the PC police just because they want to volunteer their time and effort in community service?

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