Border Chief Reaches Out to Volunteers

The Washington Post ^ | July 20, 2005 | Jeremiah Marquez-AP

[CedarDave]

LOS ANGELES -- The top U.S. border enforcement official said Wednesday that his agency is exploring ways to involve citizen volunteers in creating "something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary" _ a significant shift in rhetoric that comes after a high-profile civilian campaign this spring along the Arizona-Mexico border.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner told The Associated Press that his agency has focused on involving citizens after noting the willingness of volunteers to help federal agents catch illegal immigrants.

"It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Bonner said.

Volunteers would need training and be organized "in a way that would be something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary," he said. "We value having eyes and ears of citizens and I think that would be one of the things we are looking at is how you better organize, let's say, a citizen effort."

Bonner characterized the idea as "an area we're looking at." Questions such as what kind of authority volunteers would be given _ would they be deputized to make arrests or carry guns _ haven't been answered.

[Tarantulas]

You'll have all of these unqualified yahoos being given license to promote hate

With training from the Border Patrol, they would no longer be unqualified, now would they?

I've been a proud member of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse since 1994, and that's about the same thing the opponents always say. "Oh, they are only police officer wannabees who couldn't make the cut" or "Oh, you just watch, one of them will shoot someone and it will be such a tragedy." But when you look at the actual performance of the Posse, you don't see massive misconduct and dead bodies everywhere. Sure, now and then an idiot will get by the screening process, but they never last for very long. And there are others who join up and take the basic training but never do very much. However, the active Sheriff's Posse members are dedicated citizens who use their spare time to make a difference and help their local communities.

Just as an example, at our monthly Posse meeting tonight our Commander was reading some of the items that came from the Commanders Meeting yesterday. The Sheriff's Office is looking for some Posse members to help in the administrative area. The specific duty is for them to make photocopies. If someone volunteers, they will probably spend all day in front of a copy machine, and it will probably go on for several days. They will probably get 4 or 5 volunteers willing to help them out, too. There are so many different areas where they need temporary help, and someone is always willing to step up and lend a hand.

I think this is amazing, that the Border Patrol would consider using civilian volunteers. And the really good thing about Commissioner Bonner's statement is that he can't "unsay" it. The response from eager civilian groups should rightfully be overwhelming, and they won't be able to shut the door on this idea once they've opened it a crack. Let's all try to suppress our natural skepticism and offer support to the Border Patrol to help them achieve this goal.

[NewRomeTacitus]

He was merely subquoting A.C.L.U., L.U.L.A.C. and every other organization the press flocks to for guaranteed bad-mouthing for the Minuteman Project. I can't for the life of me see why they're so opposed to a neighborhood watch-type program that merely puts a small dent in the torrent of illegal immigration. You'd might be led to think that theres some sort of financial benefit in it for Bayou if not for all that smoke about being such an upstanding humanitarian concerned about his country.

Check me later when I get through laughing...sometime tomorrow.

[tailgunner]

I'm witchu, man. The Minuteman Movement ain't broke. There is no need for government fixers for the Minutemen. We need a couple thousand more BPmen riding fence. Or dump the BP and put the 3rd Marine Division on the border. With bullets.

[jackbenimble]

It is a public relations move on their (the govt.) part.

You are probably right. But nevertheless, it is a good thing and it is considerably more productive then calling them vigilantes.

In California right now a Minuteman is being subjected to very threatening counter-protests by all the usual America hating groups.

If this auxillary were deputized it would seem like the government would have some responsibility to protect its semi-official law enforcement agents.

[blackie]

Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!

Be Ever Vigilant!

Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!

[dljordan]

They're trying to co-opt the movement and get it under their control so they can make it as in-effective as the current Border control system.

[LNewman]

"It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Bonner said.

The "and maybe even beyond" caught my eye. I'm not "ON the border," but I might as well be under the circumstances.

[usurper]

I am talking about all the threats that had been made against the MM and border watchers recently.

Unfortunately, the Border Patrol could do nothing to intervene in the recent dust up. They only enforce immigration and customs violations, the local LEOs must step up.

[commonasdirt]

"You are probably right. But nevertheless, it is a good thing and it is considerably more productive then calling them vigilantes."

One good thing that could come from it is more training, reinforcement of what NOT to do, and possibly weeding out of undesirables

[CedarDave]

Didn't take long for the Washington pro-illegal ailen bureaucracy to shoot down this idea:

Homeland Security backs off idea of civilian border patrol