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Civilian Militia Patrol
U.S.-Mexico Border
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Posted:
04.06.05
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A group of self-appointed civilian border patrol agents have
begun a month-long effort along the U.S.-Mexico border to stem
the flow of illegal immigration into the United States, frustrating
federal authorities who say they will hamper not help the problem.
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The Internet-based group calling itself the Minuteman Project
began patrolling a 23-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in
Arizona April 3. Volunteers, some armed with guns or knives, are
watching for illegal migrants and then reporting them to the U.S.
Border Patrol. According to the groups organizers, over 200 volunteers
have arrived already.
 The
Minutemen say they don't plan to use their guns. "We can
ask them if they'll wait," volunteer Penny Magnotto told
the Washington Post, "but we can't touch them."
The group takes its name from the Minutemen of the American Revolutionary
War -- armed civilians who pledged to fight against the British.
But this group claims its aims are peaceful and that its real
purpose is to draw attention on the border patrol issue in the
United States.
"This thing was a dog and pony show designed to bring in
the media and get the message out and it worked," Jim Gilchrist,
project founder, told the LA Times.
The group has the support of some residents of Riverside, CA,
on the border with Arizona, who rallied outside an Arizona patrol
station chanting, "close the border now."
"What we hope this will accomplish is that our message will
get back to (President) Bush that the American public wants our
immigration laws enforced and our borders secured," Arne
Chandler of Temecula told the San Diego North County Times.
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The Arizona
Border |
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The 370-mile Arizona border is one of the most frequently crossed
between the United States and Mexico. Of the 1.1 million illegal
immigrants captured by the U.S. Border Patrol last year, 52 percent
crossed at the Arizona border.
U.S. officials fear that the porous border could allow in al-Qaida
terrorists.
"Several al-Qaida leaders believe operatives can pay their
way into the country through Mexico, and also believe illegal
entry is more advantageous than legal entry for operational security
reasons," Homeland Security Department Deputy Secretary James
Loy said last week.
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Critics |
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Critics, including President George Bush who referred to the
Minutemen as "vigilantes" during a press conference
last month, fear that the untrained volunteers create a dangerous
situation.
"The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified
and very well-trained to handle the situation. Ordinary Americans
are not," said Customs and Border Protection Commissioner
Robert Bonner. "There's a danger that not just illegal migrants
might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this
situation."
The Border Patrol said volunteers were setting off sensors along
the border and blurring footprints that agents follow.
"They're tromping all over the place making our job a little
more difficult," Tucson-based Border Patrol spokesman Andy
Adame told The Washington Post. "It's not a major crisis,
but it is detrimental to operations."
Some local residents disagree with the project also.
"I want this border issue solved, but I don't want these
guys out here, acting up and playing Wyatt Earp," Bisbee,
Ariz. resident Mike Anderson told the Republic Tucson Bureau as
he held a sign that read: "Minutemen: Angry White Men With
Nothing Better To Do."
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Is the plan
working? |
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Minutemen organizers say the project has been a success so far
and that fewer migrants are attempting the journey.
"No one's crossing and that was the goal, to show the government
that if we have people out here no one's going to cross,"
said Chris Simcox, Minuteman field operations director.
 The
Border Patrol reports apprehending about 100 immigrants a day
since the patrols began, far fewer than the usual 300. But U.S.
officials say the reason is increased activity by Mexican police
on the Mexican side of the border.
But for many migrants, the possibility of finding work or reuniting
with family in the United States is still a big draw.
''I don't care about the Minutemen. I'm afraid of the coyotes,"
a teenager from the Mexican state of Jalisco told the Boston Globe,
referring to the smugglers who carry undocumented migrants north.
''I'm going anyway."
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Compiled by Annie Schleicher for NewsHour Extra
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I think we've been witnessing violence for years, whether in reality through the media or through video games, and I don't think that's a first-hand effect.
