The UA debate club will tackle issues regarding border safety during their first public debate today at noon.

The debate is taking place at the Alumni Plaza in front of Heritage Hill where students and passers-by can sit on the grass and hear differing sides of the immigration argument.

Debate club founder and President Tawfik Maudah said the topic of border safety was a natural choice because of its importance to Southern Arizona.

"The issue is a very hot one," said Maudah, a philosophy senior. "A lot of people are talking about it, and being so close to Mexico, there are many different sides that can join the debate."

Representing the increased security argument is Chris Simcox, president of the Minutemen Civil Defense, a controversial civilian activist group that patrols the Arizona-Mexico border.

"We are about border security and political protest to directly secure the borders where we feel the government is doing an inadequate job," Simcox said.

Simcox, a Tombstone resident, said he looks forward to bringing his message to the college audience.

"I would gladly speak at every campus across the country to keep misinformation about the issue and our organization from being spread," Simcox said.

Debating Simcox is Isabel Garcia, a local attorney and co-chair of Derechos Humanos, a human rights group within the Mexican-American community that monitors human rights abuses along the border.

"We document incidents of abuse, as well as working to educate the community through forums, public speakers and events, including marches and vigils at the border," Garcia said.

This will not be the first time the two debaters have butted heads in a public forum.

Simcox and Garcia debated each other on this particular issue numerous times, including a similarly structured debate for KUAT public television last year, Simcox said.

Maudah said he originally hoped to get Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, to debate Simcox, but said the representative was unavailable because of previous obligations in Nogales this week.

The structure of the debate will be standard, consisting of opening statements, rebuttals and a question-and-answer session where students will have a chance to ask the participants in-depth questions.

Maudah will moderate the debate despite wanting the club adviser to fill the role.

"My first choice was our club's faculty adviser, professor Julian Kunnie, but unfortunately he is injured and another professor could not be found in time," Maudah said.

The debate is open to the public and expected to conclude by 1:15 p.m.