“Aliens” in Roswell, New Mexico!

Roswell, New Mexico is better known among UFO enthusiasts than immigration advocates.  The L.A. Times today has an interesting story about this city on the eastern plains of New Mexico long had been spared the acrimonious debates over undocumented immigration that have racked so much of the Southwest.

In December 2007, a school security officer stopped an 18-year-old pregnant Roswell High School senior, and discovered she was unlawfully in the United Statesy. He called federal immigration authorities, who deported her. The district superintendent protested and the officer was removed from the school. About three dozen angry students and parents marched on police headquarters and were met by a handful of counterdemonstrators who backed the officer.

After the deportation, the Roswell schools suffered a sudden drop in attendance. The local newspaper was peppered with angry letters to the editor denouncing undocumented immigrants. And even two months later, unease permeates the community.

KJ