Barbara Coe became active against illegal immigration in early 1990, when she took a disabled war veteran whom she had befriended, who had been awarded an Army Bronze Star, to Orange County Social Services for help. He was denied benefits while she saw illegal aliens receiving public benefits. Furious, she formed the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR), which soon became the premier grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public and our elected officials about the devastation caused by illegal immigration.
Barbara was employed by the Anaheim Police Department as an analyst. She found that most of the crime in Anaheim was caused by illegal aliens, often bringing that to their attention. She was forced to resign from Anaheim PD. Aside from time with her family, for the rest of her life she spent all her time as Chairperson of CCIR. Barbara was always ready to go to rallies, elected officials’ offices, and demonstrations with CCIR members, and always helping other patriot organizations. She was constantly attacked by illegal alien advocates; at one time the Orange County Weekly — a leftist newspaper — called her “the most dangerous person in Orange County.” Even at her death, they condemn her with vitriolic language, notably Gustavo Arellano in the O/C Weekly and his own website. Anchor Baby Gustavo proudly claims “my father entered the United States in the trunk of a Chevy.”
In 1994, Barbara co-authored Proposition 187, an initiative that denied public benefits, including public education K-12, and CCIR spearheaded its successful passage that November. The history of Prop 187 can be seen on the face page of CCIR’s September 2013 9*1*1 newsletter and at www.ccir.net.
CCIR had — and continues to have — monthly meetings and publishes a newsletter named 9*1*1 to inform members, elected officials, news media, and other patriot groups about the problem of open borders, including newspaper and magazine articles, information about rallies and demonstrations, and congressional and state legislation to support or oppose. She formed an email list that eventually included thousands of people. Barbara went to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. multiple times to lobby for national sovereignty and border security. She went with others to the California and Texas borders to observe and report.
In the year 2000, under Barbara’s direction, CCIR erected a huge billboard on the California/Arizona border stating, “WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA — THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATE — DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR STATE.” It included CCIR’s phone number. Barbara inspired another patriot group, American Civil Responsibilities Union (ACRU), to erect a similar billboard viewed leaving California, stating “YOU ARE LEAVING CALIFORNIA, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATE”. CCIR’s billboard was vandalized and repaired numerous times. Mario Obledo, one of the founders of MALDEF, threatened to burn it down. She ordered small green stickers depicting the billboard for people to put on mailing envelopes. Another sticker she provided named the federal law against employing illegal aliens that can still be purchased from CCIR.
Barbara was hated and maligned by MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), SVRP (Southwest Voter Registration Project), MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de AZTLAN — the radical student group in our high schools and colleges), the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC — a scam money-making machine), and many other groups that advocate for illegal aliens.
She became a Board Member of the Minuteman Project, believing in Jim Gilchrist (Founder) and Steve Eichler (Executive Director) until, with other Board Members, she discovered huge amounts of missing money and secret bank accounts and learned about Minuteman Project fraud and financial crimes. Grievously disappointed, she resigned as a Board Member. Fred Sottile’s Murder of a Little Girl explains that episode in detail: www.MurderOfALittleGirl.com.
Barbara Coe was an American patriot who dedicated her life to protecting her beloved United States of America. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Suzan. She leaves daughter Kathy, son Dave, three grandchildren Nicole, Nicholas, and Francesca, partner Larry, and those of us who loved, respected, and supported her.