Border Neighborhood Watch Works

Minuteman organizers hope to patrol other border states

TUCSON, Ariz.(AP) – Organizers of a project using civilian volunteers to watch for illegal immigrants and smugglers along the Arizona border want to expand to other border states this fall.

Patrols would be concentrated in high-traffic smuggling areas similar to the stretch in southeastern Arizona where volunteers with the Minuteman Project are patrolling through April 30, said Chris Simcox, a project organizer.

Simcox, who said the project "ignited a national wave of support," also noted supporters want to conduct a national fundraiser to help pay for gas and equipment for volunteers.

Critics, including those fearing that racist-inspired violence might erupt, said they doubt there's widespread public support but acknowledge the project appears to be accomplishing a primary objective: drawing national attention.

"This has been probably one of the more successful efforts by these types of groups to draw media attention," said Joe Roy, chief intelligence analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center's intelligence center in Montgomery, Ala.

...Minuteman Project spokesmen said that the sightings they have reported between April 4 and Wednesday resulted in the apprehending of 268 illegal immigrants by the Border Patrol, whose agents have caught 2,373 people in the Naco area this month.
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This citizens' neighborhood watch along our border is a success, much to the dismay of the projects opponents, including the Mexican officials.WorldNetDaily has details from a guide offered by the Mexican government to assist border crossers. The Mexican Foreign Ministry has published a 32 page book called, "The Guide for the Mexican Migrant." It offers handy tips on how to illegally enter the U.S.
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"Deploying civilian observers may not be the best way to guard a nation. But until the government reassumes its responsibility, expect to see more."

--Mike McGarry, Minuteman Project media relations volunteer from Aspen, Colorado.