U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols (Daily Bulletin)

saw this on drudge...

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3799653

U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols
By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer

While Minuteman civilian patrols are keeping an eye out for illegal border crossers, the U.S. Border Patrol is keeping an eye out for Minutemen -- and telling the Mexican government where they are.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants -- and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed.

"It's not a secret where the Minuteman volunteers are going to be," Mario Martinez said Monday.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

Minuteman members were not so sanguine about the arrangement, however, saying that reporting their location to Mexican officials nullifies their effectiveness along the border and could endanger their lives.

"Now we know why it seemed like Mexican officials knew where we were all the time," said Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "It's unbelievable that our own government agency is sending intelligence to another country. They are sending intelligence to a nation where corruption runs rampant, and that could be getting into the hands of criminal cartels.

"They just basically endangered the lives of American people."

Officials with the Mexican consulate in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Monday.

Martinez said reporting the location of immigrant apprehensions to consulate representatives is common practice if an illegal immigrant requests counsel or believes they have been mistreated.

"Once an illegal alien is apprehended, they can request counsel," he said. "We have to give their counsel the information about their apprehension, and that includes where they are apprehended, whether a Minuteman volunteer spotted them or a citizen."

Martinez said Mexico's official perception of the civilian groups is that they are vigilantes, a belief the Border Patrol hoped to allay by entering into the cooperative agreement.

One of the documents on the Web site, "Actions of the Mexican Government in Relation to the Activities of Vigilante Groups," states that Mexican consulate representatives stay in close contact with Border Patrol chiefs to ensure the safety of migrants trying to enter the U.S., those being detained and the actions of all "vigilantes" along the border.

"The Mexican consul in Presidio also contacted the chief of the Border Patrol in the Marfa Sector to solicit his cooperation in case they detect any activity of `vigilantes,' and was told to immediately contact the consulate if there was," according to the document.

"Presidio" refers to Presidio County, Texas, which is in the Big Bend region and a gateway to northern Mexico.

The document also describes a meeting with San Diego Border Patrol sector chief Darryl Griffen.

"(Griffen) said that the Border Patrol will not permit any violence or any actions contrary to the law by the groups, and he is continuously aware of (the volunteer organizations') operations," according to the document. "Mr. Griffen reiterated to the undersecretary his promise to notify the General Consul right away when the vigilantes detain or participate in the detention of any undocumented Mexicans."

The documents specifically named the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and its patrols, which began monitoring Arizona's southern border in April 2005, as well as Friends of the Border Patrol, a Chino-based nonprofit.

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 10,000 Border Patrol agents, said agents have complained for years about the Mexican consulate's influence over the agency.

"It worries me (that the Mexican government) seems to be unduly influencing our enforcement policies. That's not a legitimate role for any foreign nation," Bonner said, though he added, "It doesn't surprise me."

Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups' names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."

The document also mentions locations of field operations of Friends of the Border Patrol, which patrolled the San Diego sector from June to November 2005. Mexican officials had access to the exact location of the group founded by Andy Ramirez, which ran its patrols from the Rough Acre Ranch, a private property in McCain Valley.

Ramirez said that for safety reasons, he disclosed the location of his ranch patrol only to San Diego Border Patrol and law enforcement officials. The group did not apprehend or spot any undocumented migrants in that area.

"We did not release this information ... to the media or anyone else," Ramirez said. "We didn't want to publicize that information. But there it is, right on the Mexican government's Web site, and our government gave it to them."


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Sara A. Carter can be reached by phone at (909) 483-8552.

 

i think their intention is to protect our borders. its a job that the federal government should be doing.

i dont understand why our government is not only working against these guys by telling the border agents not to respond when they call in, but putting their lives in danger by disclosing where they are posted.

 

how are the minutemen different from a neighborhood watch? they dont confront illegalls or smugglers. when they see someone breaking the law they call the authorities.

have the minutemen been involved in any shootouts yet? please correct me if im wrong, but i dont think so.

the minutemen are doing a great thing and have been peaceful so far. they are doing the job that our government doesnt care or want to do. aside from people coming here for work we have over 200 cases of men dressed in mexican military gear, armed with automatic weapons INVADING our country, either smuggling in drugs or people. in most cases this would be an act of war, but not in the u.s.a. and the people who want to do something about it are getting no help from our government.

 

thats right, they are watching our country, which is owned by the residents.

than why does bush refer to them as "vigilantees"?

why dont you do a little research before making these conclusions? because im such a nice guy ill get you started

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20050407-095606-6430r.htm
Spotters on the border

There aren't many border-control success stories these days, but Arizona's Minuteman Project is quickly becoming one. For observers wondering how average Americans can contribute meaningfully to homeland security, the Minutemen are becoming something of a model. If a comparison to Britain's World War II civilian spotters seems far-fetched -- the spotters were private citizens, often over the age to serve in the military, who watched for Nazi planes and helped British forces score some considerable successes -- the difference is one of circumstance. That's something for President Bush and the open-borders crowd to think about.
In their first week, the binoculared and infrared-equipped Minutemen spotted dozens of suspected illegals and reported them to the Border Patrol. In one of their first encounters with illegals, as Jerry Seper of The Washington Times reported from Palominas, Ariz., volunteers rescued a dehydrated and emaciated illegal. "Everything has gone very nicely," American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Ray Ybarra told The Washington Times. A few weeks ago the ACLU was intoning gravely about possible abuses and violent confrontations. This week it says things are fine.
Only one even remotely troubling report has emerged. Three volunteers allegedly stopped a migrant and forced him to wear a T-shirt that read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt." If that's the worst to come from Project Minuteman, everyone should be pleased.
The Minuteman effect is being felt across the border. In Mexico, the Houston Chronicle reports, the town of Agua Prieta, a hub for illegals, is abuzz with anxiety. Grupo Beta, a government agency that aids illegals, has located the Minutemen and is telling illegals to go around. That, Minuteman organizer Chris Simcox says, is a victory. "We want to show that force of numbers secures the border," he told the Chronicle. Of course, he's only right if we have civilian patrols along the whole stretch of the border. Which we may soon have if Minuteman successes continue.
Publicly, Border Patrol executives have opposed the Minuteman Project and warned of violent confrontations. We are gratified no such violence has occurred. Privately, Minutemen are getting word from agents in the field that they appreciate their help. As Mr. Simcox told Fox News Thursday morning, agents are giving the "thumbs up" to the volunteers.
How ironic that the people who President Bush derided as "vigilantes" are acting as much-needed extra eyes and ears for law-enforcement officials. The Minutemen have all but sealed the U.S.-Mexico border in the 23-mile stretch they patrol. Their success suggests that, organized in larger scale with a cooperative federal government, groups like Project Minuteman could be a substantial contribution to border security. At the very least, the Minutemen are bringing some much-needed attention to the nation's woefully porous borders. We hope President Bush and others who prefer the status quo are watching.

http://www.parapundit.com/archives/002703.html
Minutemen Reduce Illegal Flow Across Arizona Border Section

A small group of private citizens are managing to do what the Open Borders crowd says is impossible.

This vast desert border just west of Douglas, Ariz., is the busiest illegal crossing point in the nation. Enriquez said more than 400 people a day walk these harsh trails. But news of the Minutemen's arrival, combined with media hype in Mexico, has cut the traffic to a few dozen a day.

Some smugglers have refused to take clients to the border area until the activists leave. Others are directing them elsewhere, as far east as El Paso, Texas. An air of fear and indignation hangs over this side of the border, where misinformation is rife.

The Mexican government confirms the decline in illegal border crossings.

AGUA PRIETA, Mexico Apr 6, 2005 — The number of Mexican migrants trying to sneak into the United States through the Arizona border has dropped by half since hundreds of American civilians began guarding the area earlier this week, say Mexican officials assigned to protect their citizens.

http://www.wpherald.com/North_America/storyview.php?StoryID=20050416-103527-3721r
Movement spreads for civilian patrols on U.S.-Mexico border
By Jerry Seper
The Washington Times
Published April 16, 2005

NACO, Ariz. -- The Minuteman Project border vigil, which has nearly shut down a 20-mile corridor of the U.S.-Mexico border to illegal aliens, has spawned the creation of similar civilian patrols from California to Texas.

One of the new patrols, known as the "Yuma Patriots," was scheduled to begin operations today along the U.S.-Mexico border south of Yuma, Ariz., to curb rising numbers of illegal aliens flooding into southwestern Arizona.

"This is not about being racist or persecuting someone for the color of his skin," said Flash Sharrar, organizer of the Yuma Patriots, which will follow the Minuteman model of not engaging border crossers but reporting them to the Border Patrol.

"It is about this country being overrun. ... It is our civic duty as citizens of Yuma to stop this crisis," he said.

The U.S. Border Patrol has acknowledged receiving 317 calls from Naco and Douglas, the site of the Minuteman vigil, that have resulted in 846 arrests of illegal aliens, but has not confirmed whether any of those calls came from the volunteers.

Other new civilian patrols, not affiliated with the Minuteman Project, are preparing to be up and running over the next several months in California, New Mexico and Texas. Officials familiar with the California effort believe volunteers will be patrolling the border in San Ysidro, Calif., by June.

Minuteman co-organizer Chris Simcox said the project had "ignited a nationwide wave of support," adding that the organization hoped to begin a fundraising effort to help finance civilian patrols.

Mr. Simcox's Minuteman partner, James T. Gilchrist, said several Border Patrol field agents told him they "tremendously appreciate" what the volunteers are doing to bring attention to the porous border.

He said the agents, all of whom asked not to be identified, reported that since the volunteers arrived, apprehensions in the 20-mile area where the Minutemen have set up observation posts have dropped from 1,000 a day to less than 20.

Before the beginning of the Minuteman vigil, volunteers -- more than 600 of whom have completed a four-hour training session and spent at least one eight-hour shift on the border -- were accused of being armed racists prone to violence. No incidents have occurred during the first two weeks of operation.

In Yuma, Mr. Sharrar told reporters there has been a dramatic rise in the number of illegal aliens moving through the area in the past several months. He said increased efforts by the Border Patrol in southeastern Arizona -- a major corridor for illegal immigration -- have pushed the illegals into Yuma.

Earlier this year, the Border Patrol reported that agents in the Yuma sector arrested more than 23,000 illegal aliens from October to December, the first quarter of fiscal 2005. That compared with 8,230 arrests in the same quarter last year, a 180 percent increase.

About 50 people are expected to take part in the Yuma patrols. They have been instructed to observe suspected illegals and report them to the Border Patrol on their cell phones or radios.

Officially, the Border Patrol has not been supportive of the Minuteman Project, saying they should have left border protection to the professionals and that they had interfered with operations by tripping sensors in the area.

But Mr. Gilchrist noted that residents in the area have been supportive and many have stopped by to talk with the volunteers and others have brought them home-made cookies.

Several homeowners along the border have told The Washington Times that the presence of the Minuteman volunteers had resulted in the first time in years that their dogs were quiet and they could get a full night's sleep.

 

what an incredibly substantive and well thought out post. thanks for contributing!

 

as far as i know, they are operating on both public and private. many ranchers allow the minutemen to patrol on their property. if i owned land down there i would too - id even be bringing them lemonade every few hours.

 

bingo!

 

actually, if you read the article you would see that the government is actively working against the minutemen. they are doing quite a bit more than simply being uncooporative. they are trying to subvert what they are doing b/c it makes them look like the chumps they are.

1) telling border agents NOT to respond when minutemen report illegal activity.
2) telling the mexican government where the minutemen are stationed.