Thread: Minutemen plan to patrol anew after border incursion

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/163463

Minutemen plan to patrol anew after border incursion
By Dale Quinn
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.06.2007

Volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps are headed for the Arizona-Mexico border to provide backup for National Guard troops in response to an incident near Sasabe in which the approach of armed men forced soldiers to retreat.

About 11 p.m. Wednesday, soldiers with a National Guard Entry Identification Team — which provides additional eyes and ears for the U.S.

Border Patrol and notifies it of suspicious activity — saw a group of armed people approaching them in the desert, said Mario Martinez, spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol Office.

The group came within 100 yards of the National Guard post, so the troops moved to a safer location and notified Border Patrol agents, Martinez said.

When agents arrived minutes later, the armed individuals were gone, but the agents tracked their footprints to the U.S.-Mexican border, Martinez said.

The incident occurred in the west desert corridor between Nogales and Lukeville near Sasabe, which has been a busy area for marijuana seizures since last year.

The Border Patrol does not know who the individuals were, why they were armed, or why they were in the United States, Martinez said. There was no verbal or physical confrontation with Guard troops, he said.

Chris Simcox, the founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said the incident shows the federal government is ineffective when it comes to protecting the border.

"The fact that National Guardsmen were forced to retreat from an armed incursion," Simcox said. "It's just absurd."

The volunteer border-watch organization wants to send the message that National Guard troops aren't making U.S. citizens any safer.

"The National Guard needs to be unhandcuffed, and they need to be able to deal with these aggressive international incidents," Simcox said.

The troops need to be able to detain illegal immigrants when they encounter them, he said.

The volunteers will be armed so they can defend themselves, and they won't retreat if confronted by dangerous border crossers, he said.

Maj. Paul Aguirre, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard, said troops are armed and will defend themselves if their lives are in danger, but their role is to provide support for the Border Patrol.

Martinez said the National Guard has been effective in its role. The troops provide vehicle maintenance and carry out administrative duties that previously kept agents away from their work on the border.

The troops also spot illegal immigrants who otherwise would go unnoticed, Martinez said.

The Border Patrol appreciates citizen involvement, but "the border is a dangerous place," Martinez said. "And we have Border Patrol agents trained specifically for that mission."

Robin Hoover, the founder of Humane Borders and pastor of First Christian Church, said sending armed U.S. citizens to the border is "idiotic."

"It's insane for non-trained personnel to go to the border," he said. "You're just begging for an international incident to happen." This dufus doesn't know this IS an international incident.

He also called into question how effective the National Guard troops were in their mission because they were unable to identify the armed individuals.

He pointed out that both U.S. and Mexican military personnel inadvertently cross the border without realizing it and that could have happened in this situation.

Martinez said it's important for people not to overreact to the recent incident and that the National Guard troops did exactly what they were expected to do.

"We need to make sure that people know what happened out there is serious," Martinez said. "But we don't exaggerate it."

● Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.

If the National Guard personnel could have detained any of these individuals, it wouldn't be such a big mystery as to who they are...

Chris Simcox, the founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said the incident shows the federal government is ineffective when it comes to protecting the border.

"The fact that National Guardsmen were forced to retreat from an armed incursion," Simcox said. "It's just absurd."

Yeah, I have to agree with Cris this incident does show that the federal government is ineffective when it comes to protecting the border and has been for years......

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53656

Volunteers 'with heat' to support National Guard
Response set up after soldiers forced by attackers to retreat from border

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 6, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


Gun-carrying volunteer members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have launched patrols along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona in support of National Guard troops who just 48 hours earlier were attacked by gunmen and had to retreat, according to officials.

"We cannot allow this to happen," Minuteman spokeswoman Carmen Mercer told WND. "They were being attacked and had to retreat [because] they do not have permission to defend themselves.

"I don't care what drug cartel it is, it's unacceptable. The National Guard is there to protect the American public, and they cannot protect themselves."

She said armed volunteers were being dispatched yesterday to stand "side-by-side" with the guardsmen on their patrols, "until the governor or the president allow them to defend themselves, or send more troops."

Reports say the soldiers were at a post near Sasabe late Wednesday when the militants came across the border and attacked. Officials said the guardsmen retreated and no one was injured, and an investigation has been launched into the identities of those who later retreated to Mexico.

Authorities report that corridor in the desert has been the busiest in the area for marijuana seizures lately, with 124,000 pounds taken just since last fall.

The National Guard troops have been on the scene since last summer, helping Border Patrol agents by operating control rooms, performing maintenance and repairs, building vehicle barriers and spotting and reporting those who enter to U.S. illegally. But they aren't allowed to actively arrest illegals, or confront them.

The group said it would hold a news conference today at 9 a.m. at the intersection of highways 86 and 286 in Three Points to talk about future plans.

Volunteers from the group, who have served along the border at various times since 2002, already have helped in the apprehension of more than 10,000 people who illegally entered the United States, officials said.

They also have begun volunteering their time and money to built sections of security fencing along the border, officials said.

"We are not at all shocked by this incursion; our president and federal government have sent these lawbreakers a message of immunity if caught, and a helping hand to accomplish their criminal goals," the group said in a statement announcing plans. "Our nation is being overrun by the influx of illegal aliens as well as drug cartels that show no signs of fear in crossing our border and we call upon our federal government to do the job they were elected to do, and refrain from supporting the open border advocates."

The organization is a "citizen-led initiative" set up to watch the borders and report on illegal activities.

Officials with the U.S. Border Patrol did not return calls from WND seeking comment, but one blogger had a message that was to the point:

"This incident, among others, begs the question: HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO TOLERATE THIS??? When the United States military has to retreat from our own border in the face of attacking Mexicans, we have clearly lost control of our territory. Is that okay with you?" asked Lionel Waxman. "Where will we draw the line? Where will we stop them? Tubac? Green Valley? Grant Road? … Who the hell is in charge here?"

William Gheen, who leads Americans for Legal Immigration, said the question that needs to be answered is what is the U.S. going to go about attacks on its own soil.

"The Bush administration has stretched our troops to the other side of the planet, depleting the American treasury, while we are being invaded at home," he told WND. "It is outlandish that our troops are being sent to the other side of the planet to supposedly protect us while we are being invaded here and now."

He said studies show that the death toll from the crimes of illegal aliens within the United States has been estimated from 12-25 lives – per day. "It is an invasion. It is real. People are dying," he said.

He said without a change in the politics in the United States, and a result that would crack down on the attacks, the two remaining alternatives will be "violence and slavery."

"Our political system is in deep trouble for this to be happening. This isn't supposed to be happening. Only a disruption in our self-governance can allow this to happen," he said.

Another group, The Minuteman Project, said that "gun-toting" members of the Mexican drug cartels and military cross regularly into the U.S., and some even have been trained by the U.S. military.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., one of the leaders in the fight to protect the U.S. borders, has said the fact that drug-runners are known to be escorted by the Mexican army should be denounced by the president.

About 6,000 National Guard troops were assigned to the southwest border states last summer to supplement the work of the Border Patrol. But their work is limited strictly to backing up the Border Patrol, which is why they were forced to retreat as armed militants advanced on them, officials said.

This incident, among others, begs the question: HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO TOLERATE THIS??? When the United States military has to retreat from our own border in the face of attacking Mexicans, we have clearly lost control of our territory. Is that okay with you?" asked Lionel Waxman. "Where will we draw the line? Where will we stop them? Tubac? Green Valley? Grant Road? … Who the hell is in charge here?"

WELL said!!!!

6,000 troops on the border between Iran and Iraq, but fewer than 2,000 on our own?? Add to the fact that here, the troops cannot engage the enemy (that waht the illegas are!!) makes for a totally absurd situation!!

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If America cannot protect it's own border how can we say we are a world power. We are borrowing money from China to support the illegals and say how wealthy we are. If Bush and the governor's are going to allow drug dealers and illegals to continue to take over our country, we need to invade Mexico and ensure that there is a buffer zone.

We can protect our own borders, our government just choses not to. I honestly don't know what it is going to take before they wake up.

Originally Posted by AngryTX

6,000 troops on the border between Iran and Iraq, but fewer than 2,000 on our own?? Add to the fact that here, the troops cannot engage the enemy (that waht the illegas are!!) makes for a totally absurd situation!!

AngryTX, what's even worse is we have approx 30,000 troops on the North & South Korean border (DMZ), and its 1/10 as long as our southern border. To make it worse, we've had them there for 50 years!!

And they say we cannot afford a fence..Gimmie a break...