Security precautions are necessary to protect the integrity of the United States border and the well-being of the American people. The United States has every right as a sovereign nation to control its border and immigration policies. However, immigration policy must also take into consideration and strive to protect civil and human rights of immigrants.
In response to the alleged threat that undocumented persons pose to American society, unauthorized vigilante civilian groups have formed to put pressure on the U.S. government.
These groups, which have conducted their own unauthorized patrols along the United States-Mexico border, use anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric to exploit mainstream fears of unchecked immigration, especially Latino immigration.
Anti-immigration rhetoric also is used to promote a message of intolerance of undocumented persons and of Latinos in general.
Vigilante civilian patrol groups are usually armed during their border patrols, creating the potential for violence and creating an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness.
Members of hate groups, such as neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, have expressed support for civilian patrol and anti-immigration groups, through participation in patrols, protests and rallies.
Although there is a continued risk of terrorists and criminals misusing the immigration system to illegally enter the United States, a safe and secure border cannot be achieved through civilian vigilantism.
Coordinated efforts by federal, state and local law enforcement officials are necessary to monitor the activities of civilian border patrols and extremist groups in order to maintain safety and public order and to protect human and civil rights.
Anti-immigration and anti-Latino rhetoric ignores the valuable economic and cultural contributions these groups have made to American society for hundreds of years.

DECLARATION
Based on the foregoing recitals, the Pacific Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League, together with the undersigned concerned members of the Los Angeles community, call upon local, state and federal government officials to do the following, when crafting immigration policy which affects the US-Mexico border:

1. Recognize and protect the basic human rights of immigrants.
2. Support human rights and the humane treatment of undocumented persons as part of the tradition of fighting intolerance and bias.
3. Recognize and publicly denounce xenophobia and anti-immigrant bias as having no place in United States' immigration policy.
4. Monitor and respond to extremist groups who advocate bigotry or racism, armed citizen response, vigilantism in any form, violence or any other tactic that subverts the democratic process.
5. Hold to the highest standards of human rights and dignity all law enforcement and judicial processes that relate to deportation, detention and immigration status.
6. Recognize the need for a safe and secure United States.

Dated:

December 13, 2006
Signed:

Pacific Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League
ACLU of Southern California
American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Congress
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay and Lesbian Center Legal Services Department
Korean American Coalition
LA Center for Law and Justice
League of United Latin American Citizens
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
National Council Jewish Women Los Angeles Section
Progressive Jewish Alliance
Public Counsel Law Center
South Asian Network