Minuteman Founder's Endorsement of Huckabee Splits, Upsets Anti-illegal Immigration Movement

An endorsement of Mike Huckabee by the co-founder of the Minuteman border patrol group has left some in the anti-illegal immigration crowd "stunned," says a group press release. The group has charged that Huckabee is unacceptably soft on immigration.

The brouhaha all started when Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minuteman citizen border patrol group, endorsed Mike Huckabee last week.

"Governor Huckabee actually wrote a plan that I can embrace," Gilchrest, who once publicly stated he would run for President in opposition to John McCain, said in the official Huckabee press release.

Gilchrist's endorsement is one of many Huckabee has racked up recently, but Huckabee's plan that Gilchrist was impressed by has been charged as too soft on illegal immigration.

One of the central opposition groups is the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), which recently released a rallying cry against the plan.

In the plan, which has been painted as lacking any actual penalty for undocumented workers, an illegal immigrant may be able to turn around immediately after deportation and file to enter the US legally with new papers. The issue is that the turnaround lets an illegal immigrant jump to the front of the immigration line, ALIPAC charges.

"The problem with Mike Huckabee and Jim Gilcrhist is they are trying to trick Americans by not telling voters that the illegal aliens only leave for a day, if that, under the Huckabee Amnesty plan. We want to warn America about this trick!" ALIPAC leader William Gheen said in a recent press release.

In a letter published by ALIPAC shortly after Huckabee's endorsement, it denounces both Gilchrist and the plan. The letter attracted more than 80 anti-illegal immigration groups and individuals as signatories.

ALIPAC also takes issue with Huckabee's political history regarding amnesty and immigration, citing actions Huckabee has taken.