Minutemen return to Mission (Texas)

The Monitor ^ | April 11, 2008 | The Monitor

[2dogjoe]

MISSION - Volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have returned to the Rio Grande Valley.

Participating in a month-long "muster" along the Rio Grande in Mission, the group hopes to aid federal authorities in stopping immigrants, criminal aliens and others from crossing the border illegally.

The organization began patrolling the area between the Hidalgo International Bridge and the Los Ebanos International Ferry on March 29.

Using night vision goggles, camouflaged vehicles and high-tech radios the group is credited with stopping thousands of illegal border crossers over the past several years.

Although volunteers have no authority to detain illegal crossers, they have aided the U.S. Border Patrol by calling in reports of suspicious activity, according to a statement on the organization's Web site.

"We will deter illegal activity with our benign presence," said Texas' state director Clark Kirby in a statement. "We will shift our lines randomly to different areas to give the impression we are everywhere."

The group's 2008 operation runs through April 27. For more information, call (817) 385-1321.

[Eurale]

I have always believed that Perry should deputize Texans and allow them to conduct armed patrols, not only along the border, but anywhere we’re exposed to a terrorist attack (i.e., petrpchemical facilities, natural gas grids, railways, nuclear plants, etc.) Many thousands would volunteer if they were authorized to detain or arrest.

[Red6]

I'm a former soldier, and as crazy as it sounds, these guys are in my eyes peers. They are doing what the federal government is failing to do. Think about this. Our government isn't doing one of their most basic tasks, protect our boarders. These guys are paying money out of their pockets and burning their time doing something which essentially should be done by the federal government which is failing at their most basic task, protecting the sovereign boarders of this country.

This is outright crazy!

[isrul]

The current Cin C regards them as vigilantes and McCain, the wannabe CinC probably holds them in even lower regard.

[Humble Servant]

What would be very helpful is video of illegals jumping the new single-layer useless fences they’re putting up in place of the double fence we have told them over and over we want. And if we can’t get that footage out on mainstream TV, put it on YouTube.

[levotb]

God bless ‘em!

[RockyMtnMan]

Sounds like a state militia which the constitution specifically states may be armed in a way as to repel foreign invaders. Meaning they should be able to purchase fully automatic M4’s and other like weaponry associated with the armed forces without obtaining ANY federal approval. The constitutional definition of militia specifically indicates that NO federal participation or interference may occur with this assembly (no embedded FBI or national guard and no FFL required).

[Rick.Donaldson]

Don’t forget, Red, this is how America started, and it’s how we will survive.

It isn’t the government that will do everything. It’s the PEOPLE of this country who believe in what America stands for.

These are Patriots... not those loudmouthed idiots who get on TV and wring their hands about the War in Iraq.

People who are nameless, and right now pretty much faceless, but they are AMERICANS.

[RockyMtnMan]

Authorization for an unorganized militia: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/ts_search.pl?title=10&sec=311

[SwinneySwitch]

MCDC Ping!

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[DaGman]

Mission is one of the hottest spots on the Texas border for drug violence. Mission is becoming real bad right now. I wonder if these people even know that they could be getting into a firefight with some people that aren’t just sneaking across the border as illegals, but moving hundreds of thousands of dollars in drugs at a time.