CITIZEN PATROLS CONFRONT INCREASED BORDER CROSSINGS
Insight Magazine has a cover story about how citizen activists in Arizona are patrolling ranches along the border to report illegal aliens. Chris Simcox describes one incident after 9/11 that left him convinced more needed to be done at the border. “[W]hile I was camping, in the span of two weeks I ran across five paramilitary groups trucking drugs across the border. These were highly organized groups; three vehicles, with the camouflage-wearing troops escorting the vehicles on both sides in columns and carrying automatic weapons — AKs, mini-14s, the whole works. . . . When I told the Border Patrol what I saw they said, ‘Yeah, we know, but there’s nothing we can do about it.’ I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. We were just attacked and the president is telling everyone to be vigilant and our Border Patrol can’t do anything about this?’”?
Related: Former Border Patrol agent speaks out about the threat at the border (Sierra Times)
Related: Border Patrol Reports More Encounters With Armed Illegal Entrants (Santa Fe New Mexican)
Posted by SteinReport at January 21, 2003 04:58 PM
Politicians stick their thumbs in their mouth, cover their eyes with the other hand, and hum loudly. Sounds like it’s time for Arizona voters to send them a message?
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County opposes citizen patrols; supervisors pass resolution condemning “˜vigilante’ groups
By James Gilbert, Staff Writer
Oct7, 2003
The Yuma County Board of Supervisors has taken a stand against civilian groups patrolling the county’s border with Mexico.
By unanimous vote, supervisors on Monday passed a resolution condemning "vigilante" groups and reiterating that it’s the job of the U.S. Border Patrol and its trained agents to secure the border against illegal immigration.
"More than anything else, this is a message to the residents of Yuma County, letting them know where we stand on this issue," Supervisor Tony Reyes said.
The resolution, which is a symbolic gesture, comes in the wake of the July 31 detention at gunpoint of a group of immigrants in Gadsden and the reported formation of local citizen groups to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border in the county.
During the "call to the public" session of the meeting, Mary Melchionne of the People for the USA said the flow of illegal immigrant crossings must be stopped, and read a prepared statement to the board asking the resolution be sent to U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl and to U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva.
"We believe that any resolution addressing the current border situation must address the responsibilities inherent to our Constitution that the federal government protect our national borders," she said.
"It is the failure of the federal government in performing this constitutional duty and the failure of our elected leaders to live up to their sworn oath to protect against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that has made private citizens feel it necessary that they patrol our border areas to protect themselves and their property," Melchionne said.
Supervisors’ Chairwoman Lenore Stuart, who asked the resolution be placed on the agenda, suggested it also be sent to the county’s elected state lawmakers, Sen. Bob Cannell and Reps. Jim Carruthers and Amanda Aguirre.
"Icertainly want to say we support our elected officials, the sheriff and county attorney in letting them do the job they have been hired to do, along with the border patrol," Stuart said.
Supervisor Lucy Shipp suggested sending a letter from the board, along with the resolution, to the Border Patrol, sheriff’s office and county attorney’s office, requesting them to be more aggressive in solving the problem.
"It would bring their attention to what’s happening down here — that people have kind of had it with all this," Shipp said. "This isn’t the answer. The answer is to have those responsible — the Border Patrol — to step up and see what they can do in addition to what they are already doing."
Supervisor Bob McLendon also suggested sending the resolution to other border cities and counties.
A similar resolution is pending before the San Luis City Council, which meets Wednesday night. Somerton was the first government entity in Yuma County to adopt the resolution.
The resolution includes lines that state, "many citizens of Yuma County, Arizona, may be discriminated against solely due to the color of their skin" and that "vigilante groups patrolling our borders are a threat to the safety and well-being of all citizens of Yuma County."
Copyright, YumaSun.com
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
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Even the Russians understand the problem better than the Yuma County Board of Supervisors!
Russian President Vladimir Putin:
"International terrorists have set as their goal inflicting the maximum damage to Bush, to prevent his election to a second term.
"If they succeed in doing that, they will celebrate a victory over America and over the entire anti-terror coalition," Putin said