Posted on 09/15/2003 10:40:41 AM PDT by GoRepGo
Vigilantes not wanted: Locals plan protest, may form own patrols to counter Tombstone-based group
BY LOUIE VILLLALOBOS, Staff Writer Sep 15, 2003
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — A protest, a resolution, and if all else fails, a patrol group of their own.
Those are some of the ideas tossed around Thursday night by a group of 25 local residents and city leaders who said they are stepping up their efforts to combat the Tombstone-based citizens' patrol group.
"We have to understand that these vigilantes are coming," Fernie Quiroz said during Thursday's meeting, which took place in a San Luis, Ariz., restaurant.
Also attending the meeting was Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network — a Tucson-based pro-immigrant group that has launched several campaigns aimed at finding immigrants whose civil rights have been violated by the various citizens' group patrolling the Cochise County border with Mexico.
Chris Simcox, leader of the Civil Homeland Defense, has said approximately 100 Yuma County residents are interested in learning how to legally patrol the border, something he plans to teach them soon.
Simcox's group has turned over more than 1,600 illegal immigrants to Tucson sector agents, he has said.
So far, neither of Allen's campaigns have turned up any proof of wrongdoing by the patrol groups, but Allen said new radio ads running in the Mexican interior could prove to be more effective.
Allen gave the local group a rundown of what Border Action Network has done and said the best way to fight off these patrol groups is through organized and public campaigns.
"Let everyone know how you feel," Allen told the group.
That's exactly what they plan to do on Wednesday during a 4:30 p.m. news conference and protest scheduled for the outside of the Yuma County Courthouse.
There they will ask that Alexander Dumas, 26, and Matthew Hoffman, 23, be given jail time during their sentencing hearing on Friday, the group said.
Dumas and Hoffman each pled guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully detain six illegal immigrants on July 31. Hoffman's older brother, Martin Hoffman Jr., hasbeen indicted on several charges related to the incident.
Law enforcement officials have said all three men detained the illegal immigrants at gunpoint and by using handcuffs.
Jorge Lozano, a local attorney, said many of his clients are Hispanics who are routinely given jail time. Specifically, he said, when the person is an illegal immigrant, judges make a point to issue jail time and order their deportation once their sentence is finished.
The Hoffman-Dumas case gives the community a chance to see if judges are as willing to penalize people who hold illegal immigrants at gunpoint as they are the illegal immigrants themselves, he said.
"We are going to see where the judges stand," Lozano said. "These men should be given jail time."
In addition to the news conference, the group plans to ask local governments to vote on a resolution that condemns all "vigilantes" or anyone else who takes the law into their own hands.
A rough draft of the resolution, drawn up by Somerton Mayor Agustin Tumbaga, states that it is the job of the U.S. Border Patrol to monitor the border and states any government that passes the resolution agrees to "say NO to Vigilante activities through out Yuma County."
Such a resolution was added to the agenda of Somerton's Tuesday council meeting and Tumbaga said the cities of Yuma and San Luis will soon be asked to vote on it. He said the final resolution could be tweaked but the message will be the same.
"We need to know how everyone feels on this issue," Tumbaga said.
If the news conference and resolution fail to keep the citizens' patrol group off the border, the group of local citizens said they are considering a patrol group of there own.
Tumbaga suggested following the "vigilantes" as they patrol and video tape every encounter the group has with illegal immigrants.
"We have to let this group know that we don't want them here," Tumbaga said.
--- Louie Villalobos can be reached at lvillalobos@yumasun.com or 539-6858.
© Copyright, YumaSun.com
There they will ask that Alexander Dumas, 26, and Matthew Hoffman, 23, be given jail time during their sentencing hearing on Friday, the group said.
Of course, Civil Homeland Defense had nothing to do with the group that illegally arrested the aliens, but the association has now been made.
Freepmail me if you wish to be removed from or added to this list!
Yeah, but Jorge, your clients are law-breakers! Last I heard (and that was last night) Arizona citizens are allowed to make a citizen's arrest of law-breakers.
A pro-immigrant group? Good, go work with immigrants. . . unless you really mean you are a pro-illegal-immigrant group.
If the border Patrol continually can't respond use that information for congressional/public awareness and help make the case for increased border patrol agents.
Nothing good will come from confronting the aliens. One of these days someone is really going to get their head broke and someone else is going to prison for a very long time.
What is needed is a lot of good video documentation. Local TV will run stories if they have good footage. Some organizations have figured it out and I support them. This is a political issue and to win it you need to get the public on your side. Confronting/ arresting the aliens gives the civil rights people ammo to distract from the real issue and focus on groups trying to address it. As is article again illustrates.
Americans understand and support the neighborhood watch program but that support does not extend to citizens making arrests. Just because its legal does not make it wise.
It is already well documented and not very well reported. The media doesnt want to know or help. Their motives are actually quite the opposite.
Things will get worse before they get better. The media will help make sure of that.
You know it's strange but every group that stirs up trouble in Cochise County comes from Tucson. For over 3 decades the Center for BioDumba*** and now this group. Maybe we should start a movement to have Tucson renamed "New Leningrad."
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