Robert Vasquez, commissioner of Canyon County, Idaho, is at the forefront of the campaign to control illegal immigration. His unorthodox tactics and unbridled comments have some cheering him as a leader of immigration reform. However, others view him as an overzealous racist–and for good reason.
In April 2004, Vasquez sent a bill to the Mexican government requesting payment of $2 million, claiming that illegal immigrants were costing his county’s taxpayers in the form of medical care, welfare and criminal justice services. He also has referred to the Mexican flag’s depiction of an eagle gripping a snake in its talons as, “the Mexican chicken-and-worm.”
