Lupe Moreno knows the immigrant struggle. She has lived all her life in Santa Ana, a gateway community for Mexican immigrants. Her father helped smuggle them into the country; her former husband sneaked in illegally.
Now Moreno is part of the growing movement to stem the flow of illegal immigration.
"I want people to know that there are Latinos who are law-abiding," she said. "We need to protect our borders."
Although polls suggest that the majority of Latinos are sympathetic to illegal immigrants once they have settled in the United States, opinions vary by generation, home country, economic class and personal values. Some Latinos are strongly opposed to crossing the border illegally.
A few, such as Moreno, stand out because they have publicly embraced political activism, banding together with mostly white organizations to register their opposition.
Their participation appears welcome. Indeed, at a May convention in Las Vegas, organized by the staff of a conservative radio talk show and attended by well-known figures who oppose illegal immigration, Moreno and a handful of other Latinos stood together on the stage at Cashman Field, where they were applauded for their position by more than 200 people in the mostly white audience.
"It's important that we have these folks here, because I think it shows that we are attracting a wide variety of people," said Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the citizen border patrol known as the Minuteman Project. "This is not just about white against Mexican. It's not a racist issue. It's about putting an end to illegal immigration."
Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies University at UC San Diego, said that Latinos who oppose undocumented immigrants "are useful to the anti-immigrant camp. They give it credibility and help blunt accusations of racism."
Latinos who take a stand against illegal entry say they have good reasons for their activism, but they pay a price for speaking out.
"This is not about racism, but about doing the right thing," Moreno said. "[People] think we are all brown so we are loyal to people who break the law."
Moreno said her dedication to the cause contributed to the breakup of her 26-year marriage, as her then-husband could no longer tolerate her increasing criticism of undocumented workers. He declined to comment for this story.
Her children, she said, worry that she is in harm's way, because she is perceived by some Latinos as a turncoat.
