Posted on 10/02/2005 6:06:01 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Volunteers aid in capture of 12 undocumented immigrants
FALFURRIAS — Just hours into the official "Secure Our Borders" campaign, which kicked off Saturday and lasts through the end of October, volunteers from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps were helping federal agents track about 30 illegal immigrants walking through the brush near the Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias.
It wasn’t even light yet when the Minutemen heard over U.S. Border Patrol radio frequencies that an apparently foreign group was headed north, said group president and founder Chris Simcox.
"He called out the location, and we thought, ‘Damn, that’s right where we are,’" he said.
Fifteen to 20 minutes later, the volunteers heard rustling in the bushes. It became clear the noise was coming from the people the Border Patrol were tracking.
Minuteman volunteers called the Border Patrol to let them know which way the group was headed. Then the agents tailed them north for seven miles, corralling them straight into another group of agents waiting at the other end of the trail.
At the sight of the men in green, many of the immigrants scattered. But ultimately, twelve were apprehended, Simcox said.
While the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is not taking credit for this capture — the agents are the ones who do the work, he said, and the Minutemen are simply the eyes and the ears — the organization feels they surely helped the agent track the immigrants.
Stories of incidents such as these fueled the moods of excitement and anticipation at Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of Texas headquarters Saturday morning and evening, in the first day of the second round of Minutemen patrols in the nation. In April, a round was held along the Arizona-Mexico border. This month, various patrols are ongoing in 12 states.
As a bunch of Texas volunteers finished their training in Falfurrias, they heard tales of the night prior.
About 33 new volunteers showed up Saturday, Simcox said. At the registration desk, where the volunteers picked up their line and post assignments, a woman said the anti-illegal immigration civilian patrol had about 100 people currently on hand to help track illegal immigrants.
In an earlier interview, Al Garza, the president of the Minutemen Texas chapter, said he anticipated 300 to 500 volunteers would serve in Falfurrias over the course of the month-long operation. Simcox said that, across the nation right now, the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps has more than 4,200 committed volunteers— four times the number that served in April’s Arizona patrols.
The ever-growing Minutemen group is answering President Bush’s call to be more vigilant, Simcox said during an interview at the group’s headquarters, located on a ranch south of Falfurrias and near the Border Patrol checkpoint. He referred to a speech Bush gave shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Bush is not heeding his own words, he said, calling the president "preoccupied" with the war in Iraq.
"The goal is to get the government to do (its) jobs," Simcox said. Right now, Bush is beholden to "big business, the economy, gas and oil. Your federal government considers you an expendable casualty."
The Border Patrol, Simcox said, is lost in the "behemoth" Department of Homeland Security.
"Border Patrol agents are under the jackboot of the government," Simcox said. "The worst thing that ever happened is them being absorbed under the Department of Homeland Security."
The Minuteman volunteers in Falfurrias this weekend seemed primarily composed of men and ex-military members. Some were young. The majority appeared to be Anglo.
At 4 p.m., the night shift made its way onto the headquarters property, stopping at a gate to pass through security and then winding down a dirt road to the ranch’s tack room.
To kill time before it was time to get serious, a few stopped by the "Cowboy Country Club" — a gazebo decorated with antlers and a horse-shaped weather vane — to listen to a man named "Joe" tell the story of how one volunteer was mistaken for a coyote, or human smuggler.
About 6:30 p.m. Friday, Joe said, a Minuteman volunteer was on his way to his campsite. He pulled over on the side of the road to read his map and a group of four to six travelers came up to the car and tried to get in. The volunteer was frightened. So he drove up the road and parked again. The people followed him.
By now, Border Patrol agents saw what was going on and, after apprehending the group, stopped the Minuteman volunteer thinking he was a coyote. The agent learned he was a Minuteman and let him go, Joe said with a chuckle.
Maybe it was the man’s first encounter with illegal immigrants. Maybe it wasn’t. But for many gearing up for Saturday night, the experience was sure to be unique and exciting.
"7 (p.m.) to 8 (a.m.)," said volunteer Carroll Cawyer, who read off the line and post assignments to the bunch gathered in the shade.
Nobody groaned.
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Cari Hammerstrom covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4424.
The Minutemen are here, President Bush!
Be More Vigilant Ping!
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God bless them for doing the job our government won't do!!
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The job that WE'RE PAYING TAXES for our government to do! Thanks a lot, Jorge Bush.
BTTT for the brave Minutemen!!
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