Posted on 07/24/2005 10:33:49 AM PDT by SC33
Minutemen scout South Texas before October operation
By Sara Inés Calderón The Brownsville Herald
SARCO, July 24, 2005 — Maps and handbooks lay across the hood of a silver pickup truck in front of an old, wooden schoolhouse in this South Texas town.
Bill Parmley and Kim Frommey were making plans.
Country music was playing in the background, and an old dog was sitting under an oak tree panting as the two discussed routes that immigrant smugglers use to bring people through Goliad County, right into their backyards in Sarco.
“It’s ruined my home. The tranquility, the serenity, how you feel serene in your home, it’s not there anymore,” said Parmley, the president of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps of Texas.
The group originated as Sarco Concerned Citizens and discussed community issues, eventually evolving into the Minutemen in Texas.
Parmley said he has found trash on his property, his animals have been killed for food and his family is scared because trespass-ing is a common occurrence.
Starting in October, Parmley, Frommey and other Minutemen will patrol the Texas-Mexico border to report illegal immigration to authorities. The Texas group, which hopes to have about 7,000 volunteers this fall, is an extension of the civilian border patrol group that originated in Arizona and gained the media spotlight in April.
Ex-Army Rangers and Navy Seals have been doing reconnaissance work along the border in Brownsville for the last three to four months, Parmley said. They have been observing and marking heavy crossing locations on maps.
Parmley and Frommey were among five residents and an equal number of media who met Thursday at an old Sarco schoolhouse to discuss how immigration was affecting the community.
The Minutemen used a highlighted map on the wall of the schoolhouse to show how immigrants cross the border hundreds of miles from here but end up streaming through their roads and properties.
“We’ve got wide-open borders and our government is not doing anything about it,” said Tim Rainey, another Sarco resident and member of the Sarco Concerned Citizens. The group formed in February of this year, and transformed into the Minutemen when they realized that local law enforcement could not solve all of their problems, they said.
Parmley and his neighbors decided to take action. They said they started by reporting suspicious activities to local authorities, and now they have extended their activities to the border — 5 million acres in 10 counties, most of it private land.
The Minutemen were hopeful to become part of a group of citizen volunteers trained by Customs and Border Protection to assist in monitoring the borders. But hours before their meeting in Sarco, the Department of Homeland Security, which supervises Cus-toms and Border Protection, announced that option was closed — indefinitely.
“It sounds like they are talking out of both sides of its mouth,” said a noticeably disappointed Parmley, reacting to the news. “That’s nothing new with the government.”
For Parmley, Frommey, Rainey and others, illegal immigration is personal. However, they are not without their ideological and political complaints.
“Our government has basically allowed it (illegal immigration) to get out of hand, and the snowball is now 11 million large,” said Kenneth Buelter.
He said the direct effects of illegal immigration don’t stop at his backyard, but affect the country’s prison system, educational system, and national security. Several in the group were also concerned about the “inhumane” abuse immigrants suffer at the hands of smugglers.
“Everybody that is coming over here is not just looking for work anymore,” Buelter said.
For the Minutemen in Texas, the solution to the problem is for the government to “control” the borders by preventing all illegal immigration, they said. “The government needs to start doing its duty to protect the Constitution of the United States,” said From-mey.
The group said it is also considering monitoring the U.S.-Canada border this October, because the border is a threat to national security.
People from Tennessee to the Carolinas to Kansas are eager to help protect the South Texas border, the group said. Twenty-nine volunteers in Canada are partnering with the Minutemen in Texas, but no one has volunteered in Mexico, Parmley said.
“Their policy is an open-door policy on that border,” said Parmley, “We’re being invaded. This is not an illegal immigration, this is an illegal migration. It’s uncontrolled. It’s totally unchecked. They could have a nuclear bomb with them and we wouldn’t know it.”
sicalderon@brownsvilleherald.com
Is there really true? Are they actually going to have 7000 volunteers? That seems like quite alot.
CHICAGO MINUTMAN PROJECT BRINGS YOU
UNITE TO FIGHT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Activists Bootcamp
Oct 15th 2005
Tickets 35 dollars before Oct 1st 2005
After Oct 1st 2005 50 dollars
Location TBA (In Chicago)
For details......
www.chicagominutemanproject.com
BTTT
God bless the Minutemen.
Shame on the "Border Patrol" and "Dept. of Homeland Security."
These government agencies should be sued for dereliction of duty and their pensions revoked.
You can't blame the Border Patrol. They don't get the funding they need to do the job. The BP agents should be commended. They risk their lives everday despite the fact that they are underfunded and outmanned. Its the pols in Washington and people like Kolbe in AZ who are at fault.
Bless the Minutemen!
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
These guys have been dissed by the President and by left wing groups. They are the Community Crime Watch group for the nation.
The Coast Guard is doing its job on the waters!
The Minutemen, if they keep their operations lawful and use some common sense, can really help the Border Patrol as scouts. That way, the BP agents can stay back and follow up on reports.
Not all the border is at equal risk for illegals crossing. There will be some spots that are favored and some that are not. There will be places where the roads and railways favor cargo and others that are crossable only on foot.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of organization of the first initiative. The next ones need to standardize operations and procedures, and work out an effective if informal MOU with the BP (whom I agree are overworked).
How do they keep "plants" out?
It amazes me how the government just doesn't give a damn. Especially with the war on terror. What the hec is Bush thinking ?
Actually I believe it was the border patrol that asked to work with the Minutemen. HS gave them a strong "NO". What I would like to know is how we can all help them.
The challenge will be, and I'm sure they realize this, is to gain support from landowners and access to private land. About 97% of Texas is privately owned. I would imagine many ranchers would be willing to allow access, possibly by being assured of just who is coming on their property to take part in this project, maybe a few other restrictions and requirements.
Another plus to this is that those same folks can sure bar the press, "activists" and other riff-raff from entering, now that's GOOD! I'm eagerly awaiting this effort.
When Bush called the Minutemen vigilantes he was acknowledging that he was not doing his job. Vigilantes arise naturally in the absence of necessary governmental authority. Hollywood has created a terrible mythology of vigilantism equating it with lynchmob mentality. Actually America has a fine noble tradition of citizens stepping up to do what needs to be done when government fails.
The American people respect vigilantes. Just look at the response to Rambo and other vigilante stories.
IMHO, this has probably already happened.
This is gonna get nasty. Ya ready President Bush?
If Bush is smart he will rally support for the Kyl/Cornyn Bill and do his best to sell it to all sides.
Texas minutemen ping.
Do you think there will actually be in the ballpark of 7000 Minutemen in texas this October?
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