Minuteman cofounder credits media for Segura's permanence

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Minuteman Project Board Member Eli Cawley thanked state media outlets Friday for coverage that spurred his group's vote to allow its co-founder to remain a member. But in a letter sent to media, he did not back down from his stance that illegal aliens are "invaders" and that state and federal officials are ignoring their criminal behavior.

Thursday, 15 Utah Minuteman Project members voted 8-7 to allow group co-founder Alex Segura to stay in the group. Many members were upset with him over his public appearance at an event with Hispanic activist Tony Yapias where both asked for a calmness in the ongoing immigration debate. Their comments came after a list of about 1,300 supposedly illegal immigrants was stolen from the Department of Workforce Services and distributed.

Cawley said in the news release that if news media had not been involved in the debate, no vote would have occurred and Segura would still be estranged from the group he worked to create.

"Despite the often acrimonious debate, there was obvious consensus among all members of the UMP to hold our state and federal law enforcement officials accountable to defend and protect our citizens," the news release said. "(The list) is unfair to our citizens, though not to the illegal aliens, and is clear evidence that the massive presence of illegal aliens is causing collateral damage to our society."