Posted on 03/07/2005 10:45:02 PM PST by Dan Evans
Violent, terror-connected gang threatens to confront civilian immigration patrols.
It looks like there is going to be a second "showdown at the OK Corral" in Tombstone, Ariz., April 1.
A leader of the violent, terror-connected Latin American gang Mara Salvatruchas, Ebner Anivel Rivera-Paz, has reportedly issued orders from federal prison to members of his international criminal organization to teach a lesson to a group of Americans taking border control into their own hands.
The American civilians, known as the "Minutemen," say they have some 750 volunteers ready to show up in Tombstone to start policing the border and dealing with illegal immigration.
The Mara Salvatruchas, founded in Los Angeles, has become one of the most violent and widespread gangs throughout South America, the U.S. and even Canada. Many of its members and leaders have been deported from the U.S., but the group is said to be deeply involved in cross-border arms-running and drug-smuggling operations, according to U.S. law enforcement sources.
Lately, the gang has joined forces with former members of the Farabundo Mart�ational Liberation Front, a radical terrorist group, and some U.S. intelligence sources say they may also be cooperating with Islamic terrorist groups – including al-Qaida.
Meanwhile, the Minutemen hope to form a group of civilians from all walks of life to patrol the border day and night – even with the threat of such violence. Their goal is stop the flow of illegal immigration through the Arizona-Mexico border, the biggest entry point into the U.S.
Jim Gilchrist of Orange County, Calif., is leading the project.
"I struck the mother lode of nationalism," he told a local TV station. "I thought I would be lucky to get 12 volunteers. In six months, I've gotten almost 500."
The target is a 230-mile stretch of desert along the Arizona-Mexico border. Some people call the area "America's Open Door." Along this section of the border, more than 43 percent of all illegal entries to the U.S. take place.
Last year, the Tucson Border Patrol apprehended 491,000. But for every person caught, immigration sources say, at least five walk in undetected.
"We're going to set up at least 40 maybe 80 outposts, four to six people per outpost 24/7, looking for people who are infiltrating over that border," said Gilchrist.
To do this, Gilchrist is amassing people from all walks of life to spend a month camped out on the border.
But some say taking the work of border patrol into their own hands could be deadly. While Gilchrist stresses non-violence, he doesn't rule out the possibility that many of his volunteers will be armed.
"Ten percent of our members are retired law enforcement officers who have a right to carry a concealed weapon. They probably will carry and you won't know it," he said.
But Andy Adame with the U.S. Border Patrol in Tucson warned "people are going to get hurt." Adame said many of these volunteers don't know what they're in for.
"When you have untrained civilians, that are armed, that are out in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night, in the dark, and they meet up with one of these smuggling organizations ... you're going to have a gun fight," said Adame.
Border patrol agents have seen a growing problem with violence in recent years. Agents have been attacked by frustrated smugglers with rocks, bricks, even automatic weapons.
According to authorities, violence along the Tucson sector has climbed to an all-time high.
"Bringing untrained civilians into this border environment is a recipe for disaster," said Adame.
But that has not deterred many of the volunteers.
The Minutemen even have an air force. They plan to use about two dozen aircraft to patrol the skies near the border.
Rivera-Paz was arrested three weeks ago and is accused of murdering more than two dozen people in Honduras. He was wanted in connection with the December bus massacre of 28 people, including six children, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The Mara Salvatruchas identify themselves with tattoos, such as "MS" or the numbers 13 and 18, signifying their relationship to the gang. The gang formed in the United States in the 1980s in a Los Angeles prison. The 13 and 18 signify the city streets in L.A. where they hung out.
U.S. officials are concerned the gang members might help sneak al-Qaida terrorists into America.
Rivera-Paz was charged with illegally entering the United States after being deported, but is expected to be extradited to Honduras to face charges in connection with the bus massacre.
Here we go again. Similar thread eventually got pulled last night.
Why was it pulled?
Exactly right. A few gunfights might let the illegals know that there are serious risks to entering the USA illegally.
As to the "untrained civilians" remark, who does Adame think won freedom for this country in the first place?
PING
The administration will come down squarely on the side of the foreign gang. American patriots will be shot and go to federal prison.
I see. So he thinks if he ignores a problem it will go away.
Depends on how many sign up. Maybe they will outnumber the border patrol.
Ebner Anivel Rivera-Paz needs to be taken for a swim
slightly off shore at the Farallon Islands .....
And those were the exact reasons last night, a mild flame war erupted and the post (the article) was very mean-spirited to begin with.
More comments here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1357537/posts
I have no problem with it being posted twice. It's good for this info to get out.
Well, if certain folks stopped showing up on threads starting flamewars by calling some of us "racists", "neo-nazis", and "vigilantes", it wouldn't be a problem.
The President is asleep.
Why did they stop taking volunteers?
I haven't been around here for long, but it seems like many topics, evolution in particular, and even the Patriot Act are much more likely to generate flames and personal attacks. I very much hope you are not right and that it will not get pulled for either of these reasons, especially #1. I'll be really disillusioned with FR if it does.
Minutemen = Undocumented Border Patrol Agents
Just doing jobs that no American Gov't Employee will or wants to do.
"When you have untrained civilians, that are armed, that are out in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night, in the dark, and they meet up with one of these smuggling organizations ... you're going to have a gun fight," said Adame."
Adame assumes much -- likely without supporting information. And he should look up the word "ambush" in Webster's and imagine how it might be employed against invaders (BTW, who "trained" them?) stupid enough to start a "gun fight" in the dark against defenders supported by well-concealed backups in large numbers.
And let's not fret about limited numbers of former LEOs (most of who themselves have never been in a real gunfight) carrying concealed. AZ is an open-carry state, and getting an out-of-state CCW is no big deal. Besides, nobody would want to conceal rifles and shotguns, anyway.....
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