Members of Georgians for Immigration Reduction (GIR) do, however, vehemently oppose massive immigration, and they want to pull the plug on illegal immigrants in this country.

The mostly white network of several hundred residents extends from metro Atlanta to South Georgia. Members blame unchecked immigration for stressed schools, skyrocketing public health care costs and the image of Hispanic men congregating on the corner waiting for jobs.

Members brave enough to speak publicly say race or color isn't a concern, but preserving a quality of life that's being eroded by too many newcomers is.

"I don't care if they have blond hair and blue eyes -- if they are here illegally, they shouldn't be," said Chris Watford, a Roswell native and business owner. "We're not out here waving the Rebel flag. Our only concern about the [Georgia] flag is that it might be a Mexican flag one day."

For the past year, Watford and other members of Georgians for Immigration Reduction have lobbied politicians to stop measures they say jeopardize the country's security. The group, for example, doesn't want the state to let undocumented immigrants get driver's licenses. It opposes acceptance of the matricula consular -- the Mexican identification card undocumented immigrants use to cash checks and get other services.

Jane Russell of Decatur, the group's director, said it's a "terrible idea" for a government or law enforcement agency to accept a foreign document as valid. "It's ludicrous," said Russell, citing acceptance of the Mexican ID card by DeKalb County government and some banks.

Russell said it's time for some "citizen-friendly protections" to stem an immigration tide that averages 1 million legal entries a year. An estimated 7 million to 8 million illegal immigrants reside in the United States. Mexican nationals are thought to make up most of the 228,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia.

"We know that this country is never going to round everybody up who is here illegally and send them home," Russell said. "But the government could start inspecting workplaces again. We could have a guest worker visa program that lets in the number of people needed to do the work -- not his brother, his wife, his uncle and cousins, too. That's not a good system."

As expected, a group like Georgians for Immigration Reduction angers Hispanic advocates, who question their get-tough stance.

Jose Gonzalez, an attorney for the Atlanta office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said his organization doesn't oppose immigration controls, but it expects fair treatment of everyone.

"Immigration laws are very complex, and there are some fallacies out there," said Gonzalez, adding that even undocumented people get taxpayer IDs so they can pay taxes on what they earn.

"When you talk about the Latino family, you are talking about legal residents, citizens and undocumented people," he said. "That's a big issue to deal with, and [no members] of the family should be left in limbo. These types of groups raise many points, but what point they are raising" isn't always a clear-cut proposition.

Similar groups at work

Much of what Georgians for Immigration Reduction espouses jibes with various national groups, including FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) in Washington and the Oakland, Calif.-based Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America.

Yeh Ling-Ling, executive director of the diversity alliance, considers grass-roots groups like the one in Georgia comrades in a debate that concerns "minorities, whites, the left wing and the right wing groups."

"Politicians still duck the issue," Yeh Ling-Ling said, "but more and more people see the connection between overcrowded schools, health care costs and other issues that are exacerbated by high immigration. You can't address those issues without addressing immigration. Pass laws and enforce them. Deport illegals and put a moratorium on legal immigration. We have to address it."

Debate stifled

But debate over "how much immigration we need and why" gets pushed aside for a "strong desire within America to come across as tolerant and open to new ideas and people," said Dan Stein, FAIR's executive director, who acknowledged advocates for tighter immigration are taken more seriously since Sept. 11.

Still, "politically incorrect speech is an intimidating factor" for groups like Georgians for Immigration Reduction. "They have to plug into national organizations such as FAIR to get basic information about how many immigrants are coming in, and who makes the decisions for the current system," he said. "That's never explained to the American people."

The Georgians work to educate people about the impact of illegal immigration and to stay alert to related issues in legislation.

Watford works hard to stimulate debate. He has called politicians and written letters to the newspaper on topics like the driver's license issue.

"You have to have dialogue," he said. "Our position is just as valid as that of other folks. "