Officials: Man not held against his will

AP ^ | 4/7/5 | ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN

[SmithL]

TUCSON, Ariz. - Authorities determined Thursday that three volunteers involved in a civilian project to watch the border and report illegal crossers did not hold an illegal immigrant against his will.

The Mexican man had told sheriff's deputies that he was detained and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan. The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt." Barton was one of the three volunteers.

"The county attorney's office reviewed all available evidence, that indicates that there was no forcible detention, therefore the case is not substantiated, and no charges are pending," said Carol Capas, a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.

The sheriff's department, Mexican Consul Miguel Escobar and the U.S. Border Patrol also agreed that the 26-year-old man was not detained, said Capas and Border Patrol spokeswoman Andrea Zortman.

The volunteers involved in Wednesday's incident identified themselves as members of the Minuteman Project - a monthlong effort that has people from around the country spread out along a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border to report undocumented migrants and smugglers.

Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence. Mexico's foreign relations department also pledged in the days leading up to the civilian operation to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the volunteers and ensure that they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens.

Wednesday's incident was the first reporting any possible detention, though volunteers earlier assisted an immigrant in distress.

[nightdriver]

"Mexico's foreign relations department also pledged in the days leading up to the civilian operation to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the volunteers and ensure that they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens."

They leave those "rights" either on the barbed wire or in the Rio Grande, don't they?

[Marauder]

Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence.

Or worse, lead to getting something done.

[Spiff]

No offense, but you've provided me no evidence to counter the newspaper story. Until such time I'll consider it a draw.

So, you don't trust a long-time FReeper who is right here on the spot who has firsthand knowledge of who and who is not an organizer? Someone who just got off the phone with the organizers about the disposition of this situation and the removal of this punk. You're a real piece of work and your agenda is obvious. Please, don't let anyone confuse you with the facts.

[spodefly]

Aside from lies and baiting, he has absolutely nothing to offer on this topic or to this forum.

[ClintonBeGone]

So, you don't trust a long-time FReeper who is right here on the spot who has firsthand knowledge of who and who is not an organizer?

In your case I do trust you. But Spiff, that's not how it works. Besides, it's a minor point anyway. You've shown me you're consistent and aren't going to ignore this guy since the story is dropped, so I appreciate that. That's what matters.

[ClintonBeGone]

What the heck are you talking about - GW is a RINO liberal elitist who traces his lineage to Mass. and has sold our sovergnty to business for cheap labor.

Dude he was born in CT.

[ClintonBeGone]

Aside from lies and baiting, he has absolutely nothing to offer on this topic or to this forum.

I would certainly be interested in seeing examples of lies. I try to cite or document most of the factual claims I make - like the Tancredo hiring illegal immigrants story.

[MEGoody]

"What the heck are you talking about"

Okay, let me attempt to clarify my question for you. It seems to have flown right over your head the first time.

What does your whining about GWB have to do with a thread about an illegal holding a T-shirt and the Minutemen effort on the border?

"He should march our military down here to enforce our border not stop the minutemen who are patriots and heros."

Which military? The guys in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the ones who just got home from there?

[spodefly]

Tancredo didn't hire illegal aliens. He hired a company to do work on his house. In that company, there were 2 people that claimed to be illegals in a hit piece in the Denver Post 2 years ago. No other story from any journalist in any publication has been able to actually determine if the 2 persons claiming to be illegals were illegal, and the company that Tancredo hired denies that they were. It is the only smear that you and your team of smear artists can come up with, so you don't bother with the details.

Same with this Barton idiot in the MMP. He "claimed" that he was a leader in the MMP, and one journalist took him up on it. Nothing in any other publication, nor in any material from the MMP substantiates his claim. But, again, for people like you that are more interested in baiting and distortion, any degree of honesty would be too much.

[AlaskaErik]

I'll bet the initial report made front page headlines. Conversely, this new revelation will be buried somewhere in the back.

[ClintonBeGone]

Tancredo didn't hire illegal aliens. He hired a company to do work on his house.

That's kind of like Walmart didn't hire those illegal alien janitors, they just hired a company that employed illegal aliens. Same thing? No harm, no foul?

[spodefly]

Again, as usual, your post shows a lack of ability to discriminate one thing from another, and posits interrogatives that are contrary to any indications given in my post.

Wal Mart has a multi-million dollar Human Resources department and processes for vetting of contractors.

An individual does not.

Perhaps this will be such a gross distinction that even you may grasp it.

[HiJinx]

Every incident is going to be investigated, so it's generally not wise to assume the worst when we should know better.

Barton was dumb, but he didn't 'forcibly detain' the illegal any more than he forced him to accept twenty bucks.

KTF, FRiends

[Travis McGee]

I hope everybody understands that not all members of Free Republic are loyal to the USA.

ClintonBeGone's famous post 26:

You couldn't beat the Mexicans lead by brother Santa Anna at the Alamo - You're certainly not going to beat Mara Salvatrucha with a bunch of fat old ex-supply sergeants.

[lt.america]

"I don't think Mexicans are too stupid to know right from wrong, but they should try taking over their own country before taking over ours."

Here. Here. I take my hat off to the Minutemen. At least they are walking the talk. Who cares if this guy has a novelty T-shirt made up, after all, these people are called ILLEGALS.

[ClintonBeGone]

Wal Mart has a multi-million dollar Human Resources department and processes for vetting of contractors.

An individual does not.

Perhaps this will be such a gross distinction that even you may grasp it.

I see. So you're OK with exempting individuals from the consequences of hiring illegals or hiring companies that employ illegals? We'll call it the "Tancredo Small Business Exemption".

[spodefly]

Prove that Tancredo or the company he hired actually hired illegals, much less that they knowingly did so. No one anywhere has been able to prove it.

Prove it, or else admit that you are just repeating the same lies that have already been discredited years ago.

As for your assertion that I am "OK with exempting individuals from the consequences of hiring illegals or hiring companies that employ illegals", that is a complete and utter fabrication on your part that in no way is reflective of anything I have said in the above post or in any other.

In other words, it is a deliberate distortion used to bait a member of this forum. We'll call it "The Clintonbegone passive aggressive thread baiting technique".

[Serenissima Venezia]

Good, jettison the dude. He doesn't sound like Minuteman quality.

[truthkeeper]

The Mexican man had told sheriff's deputies that he was detained and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan. The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt." Barton was one of the three volunteers.

Gee, so the illegal alien lied. What a shocker.

[swampfox98]

The Mexican man had told sheriff's deputies that he was detained and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan.

Doesn't surprise me these people are lying; I'm surprised there has not been more of it. Guess our president hasn't given Fox the idea yet. President Fox, by the way, is still protecting an illegal alien who was driving drunk in our town, and killed a woman.

He fled to Mexico and is being protected by the government of the people who are only coming here to do the jobs that Americans won't do.

I am fed up with President Bush and his administration. He has done more harm to America than Bill Clinton ever did. Bush can worry about establishing democracy in Iraq, but is blind to the pain and suffering of the American citizens who are living every day with these outlaw aliens taking over their communities.

If I ever vote for anybody again it will be a cold day you know where. I'll never vote for a vermin Democrat, and am sick to death of the mealy mouth Republicans in Congress who are so weak and timid they can't pass gas. They are destroying our country with open borders, while many stand by and say nothing.