Posted on 04/07/2005 5:32:55 AM PDT by Kokojmudd
Illegal entrant taped holding 'caught' T-shirt By Michael Marizco ARIZONA DAILY STAR
PALOMINAS - Cochise County officials said they are investigating two Minuteman volunteers after an illegal entrant complained Wednesday to authorities that he was held against his will.
One of the men paid the illegal entrant $20 and gave him a T-shirt to hold up while he filmed the encounter. The T-shirt read: "Bryan Barton Caught an Illegal Alien and all I got was this T-shirt," said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
It's the first encounter where an illegal entrant has filed a complaint against Minuteman Project volunteers since the monthlong controversial protest started Friday. Volunteers have gathered in Southern Arizona to protest what they said is the federal government's inability to control the border.
Critics said the encounter is the first sign that the Minuteman Project is a "sham" meant to humiliate illegal entrants.
The incident started Wednesday afternoon when Barton, 24, and a second Minuteman volunteer encountered the illegal entrant on Arizona 92 near Palominas, Capas said.
Barton said he gave the man the T-shirt and $20 plus food and water. Then he filmed the man holding up the T-shirt.
The volunteers then called the Border Patrol, which sent agents to pick up the entrant. Once in custody, the entrant complained about being held by the volunteers.
"It was supposed to be funny," Barton said about the encounter.
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever didn't think so.
"We have no time or patience for anyone attempting to turn this situation into a three-ring circus," he said.
The Cochise County Attorney's Office is also investigating the complaint.
Barton, who is running for Congress in San Diego on the Republican ticket, said he's not worried about charges being filed and that he never held the man against his will.
He said deputies seized the video for evidence. No arrests have been made in the incident.
"This shows what we've been saying all along," said Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network.
"It was nothing but a media sham to mislead the public," she said. "Clearly they misrepresented the situation. They misrepresented themselves."
Minuteman Project organizers Chris Simcox and James Gilchrist could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
● Contact Michael Marizco at 573-4213 or mmarizco@azstarnet.com.
Don't know what you posted, but you might want to thank the Moderators for removing it.
A woman was charged with a crime for threatening to kill Michael Schiavo on an AOL internet forum, where I guess the moderators didn't delete her post. :-)
Bryan Barton is a stupid @$$#01e.
I still haven't read your condemnation of odoso call for murder. Do you support what he advocates?
Here's the thing that these idiots did wrong beyond violating the S.O.P. The food and water is OK because maybe the intruder looked like he needed. The T-Shirt is even OK because maybe the guy looks like he needed some clothing. However, the wording of the shirt says that he "caught" the illegal alien. That is NOT what he was supposed to do as a MMP volunteer. The $20 is a problem because it totally exposes what this Barton idiot is all about. By giving the intruder $20 he HIRED an illegal alien which is what the whole Minuteman Project is opposed too. That he did all of this BEFORE calling Border Patrol is also a problem.
But, compared to what the border intruders do and the ongoing invasion that is occuring over our southern border, this is a very minor incident. I'm sure that the media is trumping it up as much as possible to damage the MMP and that no charges will ever be filed because the video tape will help exonerate Barton. However, the damage will have been done to the Minuteman Project because of this idiot's stupid stunt.
Of course, the media may be making up a great deal of this story. Who knows? We know that the media is very hostile to the whole Minuteman Project and will do anything to damage it.
Nice try though dumbsh*t. How many illegals did you pick up for your construction business this morning?
I agree. What's really suspect though is those claims that he's not really part of the MMK, just a publicity seeker. Yet here is an article that lists Bryan Barton as not just a participant, but one of the rally's ORGANIZERS.
"It's just an organization, being part of a movement, being part of a way to tell Washington D.C. that this border needs to be protected and it needs to be protected now,” said Minuteman rally organizer Bryan Barton.
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=3160931&nav=14RTYEN9
I see what you mean now. Good points.
Tombstone, as far as I know. If you check out their FAQs on the website, I think you'll find that what these guys did was out of step with the project's intentions:
No "hostile" confrontation with intruders will be allowed. The MMProject participants will only "spot and report", the USBP takes it from there.
We will seal the border by our presence, but will not violate anyone's civil rights, and will not abuse anyone from any country.
http://www.minutemanproject.com/FAQ.html
To the ClintonBeGone, aka: The spineless, socialist coward.
Better for a fool to keep his mouth shut, than to open it and remove all doubt... I suggest you take that advice, because your foolishness is here for all to see. As is your lack of character and patriotism.
People like you are the shame of America dating back to it's inception.
He's not one of the organizers. He is, or was, a registered member. I'm sure that he isn't now as there is zero tolerance for violating the S.O.P. I've already seen one guy tossed out for a very minor infraction (being too talkative on radio comms and displaying an inability to follow instructions from the organizers).
I know you're having a lot of fun with this - getting as much mileage as possible as you've been ignoring everything positive about the MMP and looking for anything negative. This is the same thing as the lamestream media looking for any kind of whacko showing up at the March for Justice II. What if one person showed up with a sign calling for judges to be lynched. Would you jump on the media's bandwagon and start attacking the entire March for Justice because of this one lone idiot? For that matter, have you started attacking Free Republic and all FReepers because odoso just advocated, in this very thread, the murder of illegal aliens? I don't think so. Your agenda is obvious as is your hypocrisy.
Your only argument against those who advocate a guest worker program is to call them open borders advocates.
Tom Tancredo, your daddy, has advocated a guest worker program.
Ergo, Tancredo advocates open borders.
No confrontations whatsoever. MMP participants are supposed to remove themselves from any area where illegal aliens show up. They must keep their distance and call Border Patrol. They are not supposed to attempt to stop anyone and just let them move on if they keep heading North. They are supposed to document, with video cameras, all encounters to make sure that no one can invent charges against the MMP volunteers.
Yup. Thanks. I mean, c'mon. No wants this sort of clowning around. We've all seen the whole Abu Garaib "scandal." Anyone serious about our side winning this debate would want to tar and feather these fools.
Not really. The exchanges we've had over the past few days convince me that you are completely sincere about this exercise. They've also convinced me that you are a great deal more well grounded than some of the other's that post or support these calls for murder(Odoso, Dead Corpse). Plus, you're actually out there walking the walk. So, for what it's worth, I have a begrudging respect for you, and I know that an incident like this has to be very disappointing to you given all the effort you've put in. You know I don't agree with the effort, and reserve my right to be critical, but I have respect for you as a person.
And how does this fit with your call for murder?
================
"Barton, who is running for Congress in San Diego on the Republican ticket, said he's not worried about charges being filed and that he never held the man against his will."
But thanks for playing.
And for an agenda driven, open borders, pro-criminal alien lobbyist... you are walking your walk and talking your talk as well.
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