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Letters
Reports from a Minuteman
By Robert Ludwig
Apr 18, 2005, 15:49

I recently returned from the Arizona border.

There is a lot to be told here and I believe that my photo essay would tell much of the first few days of the Minuteman Project.

Two of my stories can be found at:

www.godsworldphotography.org/arizona/cattleguard.htm
www.godsworldphotography.org/arizona/borderrun.htm

These are other photos, culled down from the five hundred taken.

www.godsworldphotography.org/arizona/basic20/

While at the Minutemen demonstration, there seemed to be two concurrent thoughts:

1. Close the border (not the crossings); and
2. We support the border patrol.

What I heard the people saying:

We have been betrayed by President Bush.

I visited with Tim and his wife, residents who live about 4 miles north of the border. He spoke of the trails used by the Mexicans as they come north across his property. He also has abandoned mine shafts in his property. The homemade backpacks used to carry drugs across the border are dumped in these shafts. He told me there were nights when a pickup comes onto his property, lights off of course. The drugs or people are loaded and off they go. He knows of a ?car graveyard? where stolen out of state cars have been left after being used for transportation. He knows that he and his wife?s identity have been copied as more than once, they have their mail stolen.

A woman from Tucson told me that she was tired of hearing of traffic accidents involving UDA?s UnDocumented Aliens. It bothers her to hear of a pickup truck or van, overloaded with people, overturning and causing either deaths or injuries.

I talked with a man from Tucson telling of his disgust with a center being set up in Tucson to aid the illegals in finding daily work. This center is within 2 miles of his house and he had no trouble presuming who broke the glass into his camper in his back yard, ate or took all the food, stole his clothes and filled the toilet. From the style of clothes left, he knew the person had just come across the border, was about 5? tall, and had some large cuts on his left arm where he cut himself on the broken window glass. So to him it would just be a matter of going down to the work center and find someone wearing very baggy clothes (the Tucson owner was about 6? tall) with a bloody left arm. But it was so commonplace that he was told if we investigated all the alleged thefts by UDA?s, we would have no time for anything else.

One Californian expressed concern that if people from Mexico could so easily cross the border, wasn?t it a matter of homeland security to protect the borders from others who may be terrorists soming in the same way.

The border guards at this protest were very tight lipped. I tried to ask on as to the best place to see as much of the wall through Naco as I could and he said that he couldn?t answer and all questions had to go through the information officer.

The sheriff's department was much friendlier. On Friday night, I was speaking with a member of the sheriffs department in Tombstone. He said that he felt that this protest wouldn?t stop the traffic in people or drugs. Where there is money to be made, if one crossing area became closed, they, the coyotes (guides out of Mexico) would simply find another. I heard that one coyote could make thousands of dollars with each trip.

Yet, with all the problems, fears, and frustrations the UDA?s bring, no one was willing to begrudge them the want of coming to the US for a better life. It just needs to be done within current immigration means not illegal night time crossings.

The Press

For each Minuteman, there is an equal number of press, each wanting their story.

Tombstone is a relatively small town, so when I arrived on Saturday evening and saw 7 television satellite trucks sitting at one street corner, you knew where the goings on where.

I was told when the organizational meeting got out, the more radical you looked, the more reporters were around you. If you were radical and had a pistol, so much the better.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Robert Ludwig
Bothell, Washington


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