The topic of illegal immigration brought out a dual protest in downtown Austin on Wednesday — and it’s certainly an issue that’s not going away.

That protest pitted Samuel Johnson, a member of the National Socialist Movement and strong advocate against illegal immigration, against a variety of people opposing his message on various fronts. It’s not the first time immigration, legal or illegal, has taken stage in Austin — a summer 2008 forum on the issue drew more than 100 people — nor will it be the last, as Johnson and friend and event co-organizer Robert Hester have said they have plans for future rallies in Austin and nearby.

Mayor Tom Stiehm said illegal immigration in Austin is an issue that can’t be ignored.

“It’s a big problem,” he said. “It’s something we have to deal with everyday.”

Solving the problem is the hard part — Stiehm’s position is that the federal government has to take action before Austin can.

What the feds do is up to them and will be for Austin to follow, Stiehm said. He did say, however, that complete amnesty does not seem fair for those waiting to gain legal entrance into the country.

He said any action the city would take before federal action could just rile up people more — something he’s not willing to do.

Paul Westrum, founder of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction, wants to see more done about illegal immigration.

“It’s one of the biggest problems in the country,” he said.

Westrum and his coalition, which has 32 chapters and about 2,000 members, want to see a stop to illegal immigration, as well as a sharp reduction to legal immigration.

He was careful to point out, however, that he was not associated with Johnson and his protest. He also said his views on immigration are not determined by race.

“It’s about the color green,” he said. “That’s all this is about. It’s about cheap labor.”

Westrum said big companies are to blame for bringing in illegal immigrants as cheap labor. He also noted the Welcome Center as problematic for drawing illegal immigrants to town.

Westrum’s coalition made a similar argument at an August 2008 forum in Austin. Then-director of the Welcome Center Liliana Silvestry rebutted the coalition’s claims, saying they had a message of “racism.”

Silvestry said the center has a goal of helping people, and not just Hispanic immigrants new to town.

“Our services also benefit businesses in the community — we’re talking about not only the hospital, but public services, we’re talking about landlords, car dealers, repairs, cable, phone companies,” she told the Austin Daily Herald. “The community thinks it’s only for newcomers, and it’s not. We serve everyone in this community.”

Rogelio Munoz Jr., executive director of the Minnesota Chicano Latino Affairs Council, said discussion of illegal immigration needs to be sensitive of race.

“We need to be careful because some of these protests carry racial undertones,” he said.

Munoz Jr. noted that it would be unfair, and untrue, to think of immigration issues as always stemming from Latin America.

“We need to think of it as more of a global issue,” he said.

Munoz Jr. said the issue of illegal immigration has been left undealt with for too long. He added that the country needs to look seriously at immigration reform.

The Chicano Latino Affairs Council has spelled out a position statement on immigration policy. Among other things, the council would like to see a policy that is respectful of human and civil rights, provides paths for an “earned legalization” program for unauthorized immigrants, and strives to reunite families after immigration.

“It’s a very critical issue,” Munoz Jr. said.

Illegal immigration numbers are, of course, educated estimates at best. The Pew Hispanic Center, part of the Pew Research Center, puts that number at 11.9 million in the U.S. for 2008. About three-quarters are Latin American, with more than half coming from Mexico.

In the early 1990s, California would have been home to almost half of all undocumented immigrants. Today, the population is much more spread out.

Minnesota has seen some of that expansion. A 2005 report done by the state Office of Strategic Planning and Results Management in the Department of Administration estimated the population to be between 80,000 and 85,000 — a number expected to grow.

What will be done, or can be done, on illegal immigration has been an oft discussed national issue. Some camps call for total amnesty, with human rights being the key argument. Others look toward immediate deportation. However, much talk is somewhere in between, and an open, productive dialogue is something Munoz Jr. wants to see.

“The one thing we need is to not be divided on the issue,” he said. “But unfortunately we are.”