HOUSTON, May 6 (UPI) -- A Houston grandmother has become one of the leaders in the movement to halt illegal immigration in Texas.
Louise Whiteford heads Texans for Immigration Reform. She was scheduled to be outside President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford Saturday for a rally.
Whiteford, 76, told the Houston Chronicle she expected to spend her 70s "doing watercolors." Instead, some in Texas describe her as the most effective leader of the anti-immigration movement.
"She has played a huge role," said Nick Swyka, district director for U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas. "Before her, our office would hear from people who call and vent, and she has managed to harness that into action."
Whiteford said the huge rallies held by immigrants in recent weeks have made her busier than ever. She fields telephone calls from her children while doing interviews and talking to political allies.
She told the Chronicle the importance of the issue made her an activist.
"If we continue this way, we stand to lose our country," she said.
