WASHINGTON
- May 5, 2008 - Sen. John McCain, the de facto Republican presidential nominee,
announced today he will attend the national convention of La Raza, a radical Hispanic lobby tied to the
movement to re-conquer the Southwestern U.S. that was part of Mexico before the
Mexican-American War that ended in 1848.
The
convention will be held in San Diego July 14.
Though
La Raza bills itself as a civil rights organization, the group's name literally
means "The Race."
La
Raza was condemned in 2006 by Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., as a radical
"pro-illegal immigration lobbying organization that supports racist groups
calling for the secession of the western United States as a Hispanic-only
homeland."
Norwood
has called on La Raza to renounce its support of the Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano de Aztlan – which sees "The Race" as part of an ethnic group
that one day will reclaim Aztlan, the mythical birthplace of the Aztecs. In
Chicano folklore, Aztlan includes California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and
parts of Colorado and Texas.
McCain,
who steadfastly opposed efforts to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border
and supported legislation to permit illegal aliens to remain in the U.S., also
announced the launch of his campaign's Spanish language website
.
The
announcements came on Cinco de Mayo, the day commemorating an 1862 battle fought
by Mexican troops.
"Today, we join together to remember the
sacrifice that these Mexican patriots endured, as well as the struggles of all
those around the world striving for freedom," said
McCain in the statement
. "We recognize as well the important
friendship that exists between our country and Mexico, and celebrate the many
contributions Mexican-Americans have made to our society, culture, security and
economy."