Posted on 04/01/2005 12:09:02 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
TOMBSTONE, Ariz. — An eerie tension lurked in the alleys of this historic town Thursday as locals braced for the arrival today of hundreds of self-appointed border guards who want to protect the Arizona-Mexico border against undocumented immigrants.
The streets were tranquil Thursday afternoon, as tourists milled about in the sunny breeze while cowboy actors did their best to lure visitors into buying tickets for the next gun-shootout show.
But many knew the scene could be quite different today with the launching of the Minuteman Project, a grass-roots effort that organizers pledge will draw more than 1,000 volunteers from across the country to the Arizona border to protest U.S. immigration and national security policies.
Starting today, participants will register with ground organizer Chris Simcox, who has been conducting similar, albeit much smaller operations since 2002 as leader of the Civil Homeland Defense.
On Monday, participants will be assigned to teams of four to eight people that will be placed at strategic lookout points.
Their objective will be to observe immigrants crossing the border illegally and report sightings to the Border Patrol, organizers said.
Locals have been reluctantly dealing with Simcox's presence for several years, but some said he has gone too far with the Minuteman Project.
"He probably thinks he's going to change the town, but he's not going to. Most people around here just wished he would leave, but that seems impossible," lamented Teresa Dotson, a clerk at the Tombstone visitor's center.
Chris Laycook, who arranges horse-carriage rides for tourists, said the project already has chased away potential visitors.
"He's just stirring up trouble, is all," said Laycook. "Who knows if they have one or two real bad apples and they start a chain reaction."
Project directors insist their actions are peaceful, noting volunteers will be prohibited from confronting or detaining migrants.
But concerns have been raised about the potential for violence or confrontations between project volunteers and others who oppose their views.
The Border Patrol announced Wednesday that more than 500 agents will be dispatched by summer to the Arizona border, the heaviest-patrolled section of the U.S-Mexico border that for years has led the count of immigrant arrests and deaths.
Though officials wouldn't say if the measure was in response to the Minuteman Project, they also announced plans to send about 155 agents to Arizona immediately.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government also has expressed concern placing its border consulates on alert and ready to file criminal complaints if abuse is reported. Mexican troops also are being sent to the border for protection purposes.
And according to published reports, leaders of Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, a violent Central American gang, have ordered their California and Texas-based members to the Arizona border to confront the volunteer border guards.
Rallies meant to support the Border Patrol will be held during the weekend outside agency stations in the border towns of Naco and Douglas, and there are concerns that they could become confrontational.
No such escalation of words and action would be necessary if outside agitators minded their own business and remained home, several Tombstone residents said Thursday.
Organizers have dismissed such criticism as exaggerations and at least one local business owner agreed.
Russell Jennings, owner of the Tombstone RV Park and Resort, said all he has seen so far are concerned, levelheaded citizens who want to make sure their government pays more attention to border security.
"I may not agree with everything they have to say, but at least they're getting people talking about this problem. You can't blame them for that," Jennings said.
Inside his office, he had 90 T-shirts on sale with the project's name emblazed upon an image of an eagle's head over a map of the United States draped with the U.S. flag. On the back, the shirts read: "Undocumented Border Patrol Agent."
They sold for $16 apiece, he said.
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hrozemberg@express-news.net
I wish them success and God Bless them!!
If you list that line you've got to ad:
"Hold on while I whip this out."
and
"I think you've had enough!"
Ted Sturgeon's Law: When told that most science fiction is crap, Sturgeon, one of the best SF writers of all time said, "Of course ninety percent of science fiction is crap, ninety percent of EVERYTHING is crap." So, of course ninety percent of westerns are crap....ninety percent of EVERYTHING is crap!
(Lifetime western fan, former working cowboy who periodically returns to the saddle when needed)
Indian Chief: "Hus du gezen in deine leiben, they darker than us. Woof!" -- Blazing Saddles.
Little Bill was a very bad carpenter ~ he deserved to die just for that. :)
Not all that tough to keep your bearings around there:
sun rises in the east, sets in the west.
To the west are the Whetstone Mtns,
to the east are the Dragoons, and
to the South are the Huachucas.
See? Don't hardly even need a map.
Been a lot more than 20 years.
But you're right: they still don't know bean dip about building cars, nor just about anything else, for that matter.
Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a border patrol guard!!
Spare me the lecture, Bones, just set your phaser to stun the next time!
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