Long-Time Border Enforcement Activist Muriel Watson Dies

Muriel Watson, who helped focus nationwide attention on our porous Southern border long before groups like NumbersUSA existed, passed away last week in San Diego. Muriel demonstrated that citizens can have a major impact on their communities if they are willing to lead.

In November 1989, Muriel created a group called Light Up The Border, which urged concerned citizens to drive their cars to the border and shine their headlights on illegal border crossers. Radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock subsequently took up the cause and encouraged his listeners to join Muriel and her friends at the border. What started with 23 cars eventually became thousands.

The media and Congress took notice. Within a year, lights went up along with a rudimentary fence.

For Muriel, the widow of a former border patrol chief, the fence was a sign of respect. “That fence tells you that’s your side, and this is ours. If you want to violate that, that’s your choice, but it’s our right to say there’s a fence…Good neighbors have good fences… Nobody gets bent out of shape because of a fence, it’s strictly a line of demarcation and respect for the owners on each side.”

Light Up The Border was a citizens movement designed to literally shine light on the illegal border crossing problem. About her efforts Muriel said, “We knew it was not going to stop everything. But it was the first time in history that anyone knew where the actual international border truly was – they would know if they crossed over that they were breaking the law. So that was important.”