Posted on 04/07/2005 7:30:08 AM PDT by areafiftyone
TUCSON, Ariz. - Three volunteers patrolling the border for illegal immigrants were being investigated after a man told authorities he was held against his will and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan.
The volunteers said they were members of the Minuteman Project — a monthlong effort that has people from around the country fanned out along the border to report undocumented migrants and smugglers. Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence.
Border Patrol agents called in deputies from the Cochise County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon to report that an immigrant was detained by three men who identified themselves as project volunteers.
Carol Capas, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, said the 26-year-old Mexican man told agents he was physically restrained and forced to hold a shirt while his picture was taken and he was videotaped.
The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt."
Barton is one of the three volunteers. He told agents that they waved the man over to them, offered him food and water, and gave him the T-shirt and money before the Border Patrol arrived.
"All they did was provide water and wait for the Border Patrol," Minuteman spokesman Grey Deacon said. "What's the big deal?"
Deacon said project organizers were told by sheriff's officials that the incident wasn't a problem. But Capas said the investigation was continuing and authorities were reviewing a videotape that Barton provided to deputies.
"We do not have the time nor the patience for anyone attempting to turn this situation into a three ring circus," Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants have dropped notably in the Naco area since civilian volunteers began gathering there. Agency spokesmen credit an increased presence by Mexican authorities south of the border and say it's too soon to tell whether the volunteers are having an impact. The volunteers, many of whom were recruited over the Internet, plan to watch the border throughout April and report any illegal activity to federal agents.
Except for Wednesday's incident, Border Patrol officials said the volunteers have remained peaceful. However, they have continued to unwittingly trip sensors that alert the agency to possible intruders, forcing agents to respond to false alarms. Authorities said volunteers' footprints have also made if difficult for agents to track illegal immigrants.
Francisco Garcia, a volunteer for a shelter in Altar, Mexico, some 60 miles south of the Mexico-Arizona border, has said the migrants he has encountered have dismissed the Minutemen simply as "crazy people" — but for migrants' rights activists the situation is worrisome.
"For us, it's clear to see things could get out of control because those in the migration business are not easily intimidated," Garcia said. "We're afraid an aggression could escalate into an international incident."
"I violated US immigration laws and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt... on my head!"
Did they forget the word "illegal" in there somewhere before the word "migrant" ?
Geez.
L
"For us, it's clear to see things could get out of control because those in the migration business are not easily intimidated," Garcia said. "We're afraid an aggression could escalate into an international incident."
International incident? There's no border between Mexico and the United States. It's one nation now.
and the ACLU will be all over this "indignity ' to a law-breaking alien" -
the ACLU has/does/will tie the laws hands - but it's all Bushes fault
LOL.... this is just funny.
"For us, it's clear to see things could get out of control because those in the migration business are not easily intimidated," Garcia said. "We're afraid an aggression could escalate into an international incident
1. The only aggression is on the part of the illegal invaders. Keep that in mind. The volunteers are the "defenders" of our border. The illegals are the ones taking the aggressive action.
2. It already IS an international incident, those loyal American volunteers helping the border patrol are there because your attempts to circumvent law and portray it as "just how things are" cannot stand.
3. And for your information, I don't think these volunteers are easily intimidated, either.
..."because those in the migration business are not easily intimidated," Garcia said.
Migration business? What is the "migration business"?
This article is about as bigoted as they come.
I'm assuming they are referring to those poor Coyotes just trying to make a buck. (/vomiting sarcasm)
SO long as they didn't put women's underwear on his head.
Who knew we bordered Nigeria?
(a.k.a.) The Mexican government.
As if they do a lot of that.
Ok. First off - everyone know that anyone against this project will do anything and everything they can to kill it off.
Second - If the Mexican government has already slowed down the flow by telling illegals not to cross, couldn't they ALSO conceivably have told them to scream about their 'bad' treatment at the hands of the Minutemen?
Third - If he was "held against his will and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan." Where ARE the pictures? They should plainly show if he is restrained....or even just UNHAPPY....WHERE are they?
It's funny, an earlier thread on this exact, same story, yielded the opposite types of comments.
The MSM, Rights Advocates and Leftists are trying to portray the Minutemen as some sort of KKK Vigilante group bent on stringing up illegals. These guys are doing everything by the book. They are calling the border patrol when they spot an illegal. There has been no violence. The only violence is what the MSM and Leftists can make up in their sick minds! Of course the Mexican illegals and others see people in the U.S. thru our newspapers and TV American Leftists constantly crying "discrimination and abuse" over every single thing in this country and they get the same idea and figure if it works for them It will work for me.
"...it's all Bushes [sic] fault."
Well, on this problem (illegal immigration), that statement is apropos.
What difficulty? The volunteer's footprints face south, the illegal's face north :)
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