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Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Minuteman Gave Border Crossers Ride

By Rene Romo
Journal Southern Bureau
    LAS CRUCES— Minuteman officials are still puzzled why one of their volunteers gave a ride to two illegal immigrants trying to reach Hachita two weeks ago.

More Border Stories from Journal Archives: Army Shows Muscle on Border oct. 21, 2005 Minutemen Returning to Border sept. 29, 2005 Governor Defends Border Measures sept. 29, 2005 Minuteman Group To Patrol the N.M.-Mexico Line in Oct. oct. 1, 2005 Minuteman Sets Up Camp in N.M. Bootheel oct. 2, 2005 Minuteman Has History in Militias oct. 2, 2005 Minutemen Volunteers Keep Eyes on Border oct. 6, 2005 ABQ Journal Home Page here

    The Minuteman volunteer, a man from Colorado, was questioned by Border Patrol agents in Hachita, but not arrested. Minuteman officials immediately dismissed the volunteer for violating the group's standard operating procedures, which establish a no-contact policy between volunteers and suspected illegal border crossers.
    Chapters of the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps on Oct. 1 launched a largely symbolic monthlong effort to spot illegal immigrants crossing the Southwest border. About 30 volunteers, led by New Mexico chapter head Bob Wright of Eunice, have set up surveillance lines around Hachita for the past two weeks.
    Wright said Tuesday that the dismissed volunteer's motives for picking up the pair of illegal immigrants Oct. 3 were not clear.
    ''I told him his motivations were irrelevant, his actions were stupid, and this operation can't afford that kind of stupidity,'' Wright said.
    The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas issued a news release expressing alarm about the incident. But Doug Mosier, spokesman for the Border Patrol's El Paso sector, said agents found no reason to believe the Minuteman coerced the immigrants into his vehicle or meant any harm.
    ''But it's a mystery why this guy picked them up,'' Mosier said.
    After an investigation, the case was referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque, which has chosen not to file charges against the volunteer.
    Minuteman spokesman Gary Cole, interviewed by phone at the Hachita Community Center, said when the incident occurred, ''We could not believe it.''
    ''We cannot understand the behavior of this individual,'' said Cole, who declined to provide the volunteer's name.
    The man, Cole said, had been working on overnight surveillance operations since Oct. 1, and planned to stay the whole month.
    ''The first chance he had to pick up a couple of illegals and make a spectacle of himself, he did,'' Cole said.
    Cole said the volunteer appeared to understand the group's policy of simply observing and reporting illegal activity without making contact with suspected immigrants.
    According to Wright, the volunteer told Border Patrol agents he saw the two immigrants walking along NM 81. ''He stopped, they both spoke English, he asked them where they were going, they said Hachita, he said, 'I'm going to Hachita. Hop in, I'll give you a ride,''' Wright said. ''He used poor judgment obviously.''
    Wright said he believed it was possible the Minuteman thought the pair of immigrants were locals looking for a ride. Wright described the situation as a ''non-incident.''
    Minuteman volunteers have this month called Border Patrol agents to report sightings of 60 illegal border crossers, Cole said. The calls have resulted in 24 apprehensions, Cole said.
    But Mosier could not confirm how many Minuteman calls resulted in apprehensions.
    ''We get a lot of calls from the community on a lot of different issues, a lot of reports of suspicious activities,'' Mosier said. ''But we do believe that we've gotten some calls from the Minutemen, and some of those calls have resulted in apprehensions.''

E-MAIL writer Rene Romo