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Minuteman Civil Defense Corps

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The Minuteman Project is an initiative by a group of private citizens in the United States to monitor that country's border with Mexico for the entry of illegal immigrants. Participants in the project, which began in April 2005, hope to help prevent illegal immigration by alerting the United States Border Patrol when they spot people trying to cross the border illegally. Organizers suggest that over 1,000 volunteers will patrol the U.S. border between Naco and Douglas in Cochise County, a span of twenty-three miles (37 km) along the ArizonaSonora border. Some law enforcement officials stated that they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence. Others welcome the assistance.

The group takes its name from the minutemen who fought in the American Revolution. Its principal director is James Gilchrist, with Chris Simcox serving as spokesman. It describes itself as "a citizens' Neighborhood Watch along our border."

On April 2, Minuteman Project volunteers near Naco reported the illegal immigration of eighteen people, resulting in the offenders being arrested by authorities. As of April 6, 531 volunteers had been positioned, for some period of time, along the patrolled region.

Background

The U.S. - Mexico border is perhaps the most frequently illegally crossed border in the world. Difference in living standards on different sides of border is the primary driving force behind the immigration. The U.S. Border Patrol is apparently underfinanced and understaffed to effectively fight illegal immigration ( with an average of 4 agents per mile of the border ), and Mexican government, receiving tens of billons of dollars each year in expatriate remittances, stops one step short from actually encouraging illegal immigration. [1] As a result, a large percentage of the 2,000-mile border is left virtually unprotected, except by a small number of patrolling American agents.

It is estimated that over a million Mexicans cross the U.S. border illegally each year. Border Patrol protection is concentrated around big cities, which means that the flow of illegal immigrants is diverted into mountainous and desert areas, leading to a significant number of deaths. Attempts to complete the construction of the United States Mexico barrier have faced stiff opposition from Mexican government, various American-based Chicano organizations, and agricultural companies enjoying the cheap labor of illegal immigrants. Instead these organizations call for more open borders, i.e. legalization of large-scale immigration, between the United States and Mexico.

Meanwhile, many American citizens, particularly from southwestern states, are rather unsympathetic towards illegal immigrants, feeling that they drive down the salaries for unskilled jobs and contribute to higher unemployment rates among American citizens.

Support for the Minuteman Project

The U.S. Border Patrol Local 2544, which covers the Tucson sector of the border, has endorsed the Minuteman Project. "We want to make it clear – because we've had a lot of questions about this – we have not had one single complaint from a rank-and-file agent in this sector about the Minutemen," reportedly said a statement on the local border portral site which appears to have since been removed. "Every report we've received indicates these people are very supportive of the rank-and-file agents; they're courteous. Many of them are retired firefighters, cops, and other professionals, and they're not causing us any problems whatsoever." [2]

On April 28, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the Minuteman Project during an interview on "The John and Ken Show" on Los Angeles radio station KFI, saying that the group had been doing "a terrific job". [3] He reiterated his supportive comments the following day, noting that the Minutemen would be welcome to patrol the border between California and Mexico. Some illegal immigrant activists strongly criticized Schwarzenegger for his comments. For example, Mark Silverman, the Director of Immigration Policy for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said, "Governor Schwarzenegger has stooped and catered to the worst sentiments of division, fear and racism." [4]

Controversy

Criticism

The project has generated additional controversy. Without referring to the group by name, United States President George W. Bush, expressed dislike for "vigilante" justice in a spring 2005 speech. Mexican President Vicente Fox also criticized the group. Organizers and supporters sought to reassure opponents that the group would only be reporting incidents to law enforcement, not directly confronting immigrants. The volunteers viewed themselves as calling attention to what they claim is a lack of attention to illegal immigration in the U.S.

Accusations of racism

Hector Carreon of the controversial Chicano nationalist organization Nation of Aztlán writes, "The Minutemen and its leadership have proven themselves to be nothing less than a gang of anti-Mexican racists and their actions have the potential of alienating Mexico, its government and the millions of Americans of Mexican descent on this side of the border." [5]

Coinciding with the April 2005 operation, fliers from a white nationalist group called National Alliance were distributed in Douglas, Nogales, and Bisbee. The former National Alliance chairman, Erich Gliebe stated these fliers were distributed specifically to bolster the Minuteman Project. Critics of the Minuteman Project contend the organization is supported by white supremacists. Supporters of the Minuteman dismiss this argument as a weak tactic being used to try to delegitimize the project by trying to imply that because some white supremacists groups have supported the organization, that the whole organization must have racist motives. Minuteman supporters have argued that opponents of the organization have struggled to find legitimate reasons to oppose the group, and have launched blind accusations of racism.

T-shirt incident

On April 6, three Minuteman Project volunteers convinced a 26-year-old man to hold a T-shirt and pose for a photograph and a video with one of the volunteers. The T-shirt, which was also worn by volunteer Bryan Barton, read "Bryan Barton caught me crossing the border and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"

The volunteer encountered the suspect near a main highway while off duty from patrolling. Believing the man to be in distress from exposure and lack of fluids and food, the volunteer gave him a bowl of cereal and milk. He then contacted the Border Patrol. The volunteer shook the suspect's hand, held up a lettered T-shirt to commemorate the event, and gave the man $20 as the U.S. Border Patrol arrived and took the suspect into custody. Critics of the MMP raised questions about the incident, but an investigation by the Cochise County Sheriff's office cleared the volunteer of any wrongdoing. The Border Patrol and the Mexican consul agreed that no crime had been committed (except that of the illegal immigrant).

Project organizers, however, said they have a more restrictive policy that no contact at all can be made with suspects. Project volunteers are only allowed to observe suspected aliens and then report those observations to the Border Patrol. The project co-founder, Chris Simcox, said, "The volunteer's actions were admirable, justified and undeniably humane, but unfortunately they jeopardized our established procedures and overall purpose of passively monitoring the border. It's unfortunate, but we had to dismiss him from further participation."

The ACLU issued a press release concerning this incident. [6]

Barton since has launched a political campaign for a San Diego congressional district, and video of the actual incident can be viewed and downloaded at his campaign site. [7]

Counter-watchdog groups

Various media representatives and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) observers are also in the patrol zone attempting to observe Minutemen volunteers at work. The South East Arizona Republican Club reported that they witnessed ACLU observers using marijuana in addition to honking horns and flashing lights to warn would-be illegal entrants of the presence of Minutemen. [8]

Garden Grove Incident

On May 25th, 2005 James Gilchrist spoke in Garden Grove, California to the California Coalition for Immigration Reform at the Garden Grove Women's Club. According to reports approximately 300 protesters attended to protest Gilchrist's appearance. Hal Netkin, a Minuteman supporter who was leaving the speech, drove through a crowd of protesters who had surrounded his van. Protesters alleged that Netkin drove through the crowd unprovoked and struck two people. Minuteman supporters and the Garden Grove Police said that protesters rocked and banged the vehicle, and that the two protesters fell as the van approached them. The two attended local hospitals for minor injuries, while Netkin was temporarily held and released without being cited. [9] After reviewing videotape of the incident, the Garden Grove Police said that Netkin's actions were justified. Five protestors were arrested for unruly action. Critics have accused the police of partiality and of not carrying out justice for releasing Netkin so quickly. Supporters have said that Netkin had no other choice due to the violent and threatening actions of the protesters.[10]