Their coming right for us!
Posted on 08/08/2005 10:10:34 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
By Tim Gaynor
CAMPO, California (Reuters) - U.S. civilian patrols out to spot illegal immigrants from Mexico and angry pro-immigrant activists could be headed for a bloody showdown on the U.S.-Mexico border, police say.
The stage was set in April when hundreds of Minuteman Project volunteers, some of them armed, began tracking immigrants on the Arizona border, upsetting Mexico's 10-million-strong community in the United States.
Tensions rose last week when the Texas chapter of the Brown Berets, a Mexican-American group that was allied to the revolutionary U.S. Black Panther Party in the 1960s, said it would confront the Minutemen when they patrol there in October.
This weekend, some 100 protesters gathered in this sun-baked ranching community southeast of San Diego to see off volunteers from the California Minutemen, which broke away from the Arizona-based Minuteman Project, with chants of "racists go home."
Last month protesters here jostled the volunteers, some of whom are armed with knives, pistols and rifles. This time the border watchers kept a low profile and a clash was avoided.
Police in Campo say they remain concerned that violence could erupt.
"When you have a near-riot situation, you really don't want people having guns," Campo sheriff's station commander Mike Radovich said. "It has real potential for violence."
The patrol in Campo ends on Monday. But next month, another California group called Friends of the Border Patrol plans to deploy people, and in October Minuteman Project volunteers are set to conduct surveillance across all four states flanking the 2,000-mile border with Mexico.
FIREARMS, BASEBALL BATS
President Bush has called the border volunteers "vigilantes," and many in Mexico denounce them as "migrant hunters."
But they are allowed to watch for illegal immigrants and tip off security forces as long as they break no laws.
The Minutemen have chapters in 25 U.S. states and have drawn up a standard operating procedure that they say aims to weed out potential troublemakers and ensures volunteers obey the law.
But the California Minutemen, a splinter group organized by retired postal worker Jim Chase, are not bound by the procedure. The group has sent e-mails to volunteers encouraging them to bring firearms, baseball bats and machetes to the Campo stakeout for self-defense.
A leader of the Minuteman Project, which takes its name from a militia in the American Revolution, says he fears that any violence by rivals could wipe out political gains made by the movement since April.
"We have finally become the 800-pound gorilla in Washington D.C., but all that will be thrown out the window if anyone screws up," Minuteman founder Chris Simcox said in a telephone interview.
Activists in Campo, including the Border Angels migrant welfare group and rights group "Gente Unida," or People United, say they will step up their protests.
"They are racist vigilantes who represent the worst of the American spirit," Border Angels coordinator Enrique Morones said. "We're going to be back and we're going to be bigger."
"I suspect, that the Administration would side with the pro illegal immigrant groups and lock up the Minutemen."
That would go over about as well as a lead balloon.
Please don't read in to anymore than the comments above. I am against illegal immigration.
K4
Last month protesters here jostled the volunteers, some of whom are armed with knives, pistols and rifles. This time the border watchers kept a low profile and a clash was avoided.
Police in Campo say they remain concerned that violence could erupt.
"When you have a near-riot situation, you really don't want people having guns," Campo sheriff's station commander Mike Radovich said. "It has real potential for violence."
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Read: Unarmed Minutemen who are engaged in peaceful lawful activity should face armed gangbangers who are looking for a fight.
This is all about trying to provoke the MM into doing violence. If that happens the MSM will scream and try to kill two birds with one stone: Keeping the borders open for ILLEGALS and squashing those awful gun owners. The MM had better avoid those brown berets as much as possible because, in CA at least, they won't get any help from the law.
People that say it's too expensive to deport or keep Illegals out forget about the thousands that would, and do, volunteer for this cause.
MINUTEMEN BUMP!
It would signal the beginning of the end for our society if the former were forced to back down before the latter.
Why do you say that? All the stuff they've already done going back to Ruby Ridge and not a peep out of us. There would be bluff. There would be bluster. But in the end we'll do as we always have... nothing.
Our "society" is already dead. How much more flagrant to the violations need to be?
To me this immigration issue will be the big issue in the next election....way big....the politicians will not be able to doublespeak on this one...you are either for illegals...or you are for enforcing the border and our current laws....
Very true. It just has the appearance of a serious problem.
The Sleeping Giant is stirring. We'll know things are truly over if he rolls over & goes back to sleep.
What is sad is that Bush gives these racist groups like the Brown Berets fodder for heroes like the Minutemen by calling them vigilantes. Bush is phony and I am sick of his two faced claims about getting tough on terrorism while he lets them freely walk into our country from Mexico.
Arent machetes illegal in California?
"claims about getting tough on terrorism while he lets them freely walk into our country"
Think about it, illegal aliens are saturated into our most vulnerable spots. They are all over our food services industry, throughout the airline industry, driving trucks, taking care of our children and elderly. Only a few of those unknown millions need to be terrorists to kill thousands of us.
Bookmarked.
It should be noted over and over that these violent Leftwing racists who are out openly supporting illegal activity are carrying signs pointing observers to out-and-out communist websites.
The leader of the group of illegals that marched in Chicago a few weeks back is an avowed communist.
Navarro, whose picture another poster posted upthread, is holding one of those signs.
I've seen others with my own eyes.
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