Pat Ford, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Rhode Island (LPRI) and host of the weekly Coalition Radio talk show, is packing his bags for the desert of New Mexico. No, not for vacation. Pat and a contingent from the national Libertarian Party are heading west to welcome and engage legal immigrants seeking asylum in the United States.
From 6 p.m. Eastern Time Friday evening, August 23 through Sunday, August 25, the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, the City of Deming, N.M., and Colores United, with assistance from the Libertarian Party, host a two-day radiothon, broadcast by LPRI Chair Pat Ford. This event serves to raise awareness and funds for the Deming Refugee Center, located 30 miles north of the USA southern border in South Central New Mexico — an extremely remote location.
Since Mother’s Day, the Deming Refugee Center, staffed predominantly by volunteers, welcomed more than 400 legal immigrants per day and provided them with food, water, shelter, medicine, clothing, sanitation, bedding, communication, and transportation after they were processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as legal asylum seekers and subsequently left without further support in the middle of Deming. At all hours of the day and night – traveling hours by vehicle from any major transportation center – these volunteers make a real, practical difference in the lives of people who desperately need help.
For about four months, the citizens of Deming have united to embody the Libertarian spirit of voluntaryism and humanitarianism by professionally and graciously welcoming, caring for, and expediting the refugees on the final leg of their journey to their sponsors’ homes.
“Members of the national Libertarian Party are undertaking more meaningful activism, putting party principle into practice,” said Pat Ford. “Activism has been an important part of the LPRI in recent years, too. From baseball stadiums to the ‘Superman’ building, we value what those projects represent to life in our community, but unequivocally oppose tax dollars paying for them,” he said.
“We testified against ‘Red Flag’ legislation and other unconstitutional gun control bills, and vow to continue to defend the Second Amendment. We are, in fact, the only group who relentlessly opposes gun control with no exception, no compromise,” Ford stated.
“In this era of armchair warriors, and one party calling the other ‘the party of no’ I invite Rhode Islanders who are sick of politics as usual to step away from the keyboard and join the ‘Party of Know!’ We ask questions, reveal truth, and share knowledge,” Ford said. “We cherish and defend our constitutional rights, and welcome those who want to join the fight.”
Throughout the weekend, the public is invited to tune in to the Coalition Radio Facebook page for the live broadcast or visit the LPRI Facebook page for bulletins and updates. To volunteer, make a donation or become a member of the LPRI, visit lpri.us.