KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri-Kansas Coalition Against Racism, Anti-Semitism and Bigotry is raising its voice in the immigration debate.

"The way that we solve problems in a democracy is not by creating fear or by creating racism but by sitting down and trying to reach an agreement that will satisfy all parties," said Henry E. Lyons of Olathe's NAACP.

Immigration is a hot-button issue that the coalition wants to make sure does not boil over. The coalition is speaking out against groups that they said are spreading fear and separation in our area.

"We ask others to join us in rejecting those extremists and stand with us. This country has the room and the need for people who want to make it a better place," said Judy Hellman of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau.

KMBC's Jere Gish reported that the coalition, in particular, is targeting groups that seek out illegal immigrants.

"Being in the United States without documents is not a crime. It's more like a civil violation," immigration attorney Angela Ferguson said.

Gish said that while the coalition is concerned about several groups, the most prominent is the Minutemen -- a national group that is dedicated to watching for illegal immigration and has several chapters in both Missouri and Kansas.

"The Minutemen, Federation for American Immigration Reform, US Inc. and other types of vigilante groups, they claim to be patriots, but they have an underlying racist agenda that's aimed at all Hispanics and have a negative impact on all people of color," Ferguson said.

The Minutemen insist that they are not racist, saying that they will not accept any assistance from separatists or supremacy groups.

"We don't enforce the law. We watch and support," said Ed Hayes of the Kansas Minutemen.

"We are here and we're going to have to tolerate each other. We're going to have to find intelligent solutions to make us all get along," Lyons said.

The coalition includes civil-rights activists, religious leaders and the Local Service Employees International Union. It has collected 700 signatures on a statement opposing groups like the Minutemen.