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Border Vigilante Arrested for Illegally Detaining Immigrant
American Civil Liberties Union ^ | October 24, 2005 | Press Release

Posted on 10/25/2005 3:10:31 PM PDT by DumpsterDiver

ACLU says Incident Confirms its Suspicions About Minutemen

HACHITA, NM – Today the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico expressed concern over reports that a member of the Minuteman vigilante group illegally detained two migrants near the Mexican border last week.

The ACLU said it has learned through discussions with the Border Patrol that a Minuteman volunteer from Colorado was arrested after he was found with two migrants in his car. According to the Border Patrol, the volunteer came across the migrants after they flagged him down for food and water while he was driving in Hidalgo County. The ACLU noted that the volunteer's actions contradict the Minutemen's standard operating procedure, which states, "Minutemen do not verbally contact, physically gesture to or have any form of communications with suspected Illegal Aliens."

"If the report is corroborated, it would confirm our suspicions that the Minutemen are, at best, not well-supervised and, at worst, inclined to take the law into their own hands, including unlawfully detaining people who they think are undocumented immigrants," said Ray Ybarra, Racial Justice Fellow for the ACLU of Texas, who has been monitoring the activities of the New Mexico Minutemen.

"We don't yet have complete information on the arrest," he said. "What we do know is that this individual was taken into custody, but that the charges were eventually dropped."

In contrast, the U.S. Attorney's office in Tucson is prosecuting Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss for transporting three migrants to a hospital on July 9, 2005 after discovering them suffering from symptoms of severe dehydration. Sellz and Strauss are volunteers for No More Deaths, a humanitarian aid organization.

Ybarra questioned why Sellz and Strauss, who were acting as good Samaritans, would be more aggressively prosecuted than the Minutemen. "Letting the Minutemen violate the law without accountability sends the signal that vigilante activity is welcome in New Mexico. This can lead to a very dangerous situation for migrants and New Mexican residents alike," he said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aclu; acommunistlu; aliens; illegalaliens; immigrantlist; immigration; minutemanproject; waaaahhhh
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To: Tammy8
I personally wonder if he was a plant into the organization to make the MM look bad- only thing that makes sense to me.

Well, we know that they are willing to go a lot further than we are. There was a similar incident the last time around in AZ, and that fellow was punted as well. You just don't know how far they are willing to go. I do know that Morones and his crowd have been known to stage publicity stunts (the rebel flag one being the most famous, reported on here a while ago).

Like I said, it's hard to tell. The plantation owners get awfully nervous about having their supply of cheap labor disrupted, you know...

21 posted on 10/25/2005 5:27:54 PM PDT by AZ_Cowboy ("Be ever vigilant, for you know not when the master is coming")
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To: DumpsterDiver

Under what law is it illegal to detain an illegal?


22 posted on 10/25/2005 5:28:16 PM PDT by raybbr
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To: TomGuy

It was probably a carjacking by illegal aliens incidence, but it's two witnesses against one. Just wasn't the Minuteman's day, it seems.

The ACLU is a worse threat to our survival, than nuclear armed terrorists could ever be.


23 posted on 10/25/2005 5:43:44 PM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (How the hell could Bush have passed up a Ronnie Earle to appoint a Harriet Miers to the Court?)
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To: DumpsterDiver

The only vigilantes in America work for the America-hating Communist Liberal Union.


24 posted on 10/25/2005 5:50:34 PM PDT by Reactionary
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To: F.J. Mitchell
re: Just wasn't the Minuteman's day, it seems. )))

Worse than you think.

This provides a civil cause of action against the officers and organizers of the organization, which is what the ACLU is after.

Civil court=tyranny of lawyers

25 posted on 10/25/2005 6:05:03 PM PDT by Mamzelle (.)
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To: Mamzelle

You are absolutely right of course.

Someone suggested earlier that the guy may be a plant, which wouldn't be at all suprising. Let's hope he is exposed if that is the case.


26 posted on 10/25/2005 6:26:26 PM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (How the hell could Bush have passed up a Ronnie Earle to appoint a Harriet Miers to the Court?)
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To: cripplecreek

He picked them up, they were hitch-hiking. He took them to a BP station further up the road.

He was detained, probably to confirm the story, and released. Now, that's my impression of what happened. I doubt that you'll see that reported anywhere...especially not by the ACLU.

Oh, and Ray Ybarra is also the ACLU rep from Douglas, AZ. He sure gets around a lot, don't you think?


27 posted on 10/25/2005 6:49:04 PM PDT by HiJinx (~ A saved heart is one that wants to serve ~)
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To: HiJinx; cripplecreek

Sorry, I wasn't quite right, he took them to MMP HQ. See post #11.


28 posted on 10/25/2005 6:52:27 PM PDT by HiJinx (~ A saved heart is one that wants to serve ~)
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To: Tammy8
I remember when this happened. The ABQ news said that this person "rescued them because they had no water or food." The ACLU is mad because their Las Cruces ACLU attorney joined the Minute Men. IF I remember right, they fired him and closed down that office.
29 posted on 10/25/2005 7:35:14 PM PDT by NRA2BFree
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To: NRA2BFree

It is very remote out here to say the least; it could well be the man just couldn't bring himself to leave them in the situation they were in. I am not sure if anyone will ever really know why he did what he did- but I do know he was trained properly and he may not have realized it but had he left them where they were and called BP, they would have been there in just a few minutes. That is not always the case, but with the MM here, there are BP in force out here now. He was new and may not have known they could have authorities there so quickly.

I always like to give the benefit of doubt to people, but my daughter was there when the MM organizers were giving out the instructions and she said they really made a point to tell them no contact, and repeated it several times along with the other instructions. She told me there was no way this man could not have understood the rules, they were really clear. That is what made me wonder if he was possibly a plant to make the MM look bad.


30 posted on 10/25/2005 7:47:55 PM PDT by Tammy8 (I BELIEVE CONGRESSMAN WELDON)
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To: Tammy8
I always like to give the benefit of doubt to people, but my daughter was there when the MM organizers were giving out the instructions and she said they really made a point to tell them no contact, and repeated it several times along with the other instructions. She told me there was no way this man could not have understood the rules, they were really clear. That is what made me wonder if he was possibly a plant to make the MM look bad.

I'm sure that your daughter knows exactly what happened. He very well could have been a plant. I don't trust the MSM, but they seemed to think that the MM had done a good thing when he picked them up and got them food and drink.

31 posted on 10/25/2005 8:02:02 PM PDT by NRA2BFree
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To: HiJinx

Ybarra moved to El Paso I believe.

If anyone wants to do some good, add some info on him and some links to this list and send it off to any news outlets that published anti-MMP smear pieces:

1. Baldwin Park CA: 68-year-old woman hit in head with full water bottle thrown by "peaceful liberal protesters". The students of a local high school even made up a song about "Dotty" and her "bad bottle day".

2. Garden Grove CA: police find "peaceful liberal protesters" with cans full of marbles, ready for throwing.

3. AZ: ACLU and Rep. Krysten Sinema tries to make issue of Sean Hannity jumping over border fence, demanding that he be detained for illegal entry. He was in U.S. territory all the time.

4. MMP harrased by far-left, (literally) open borders, racially-oriented protesters who threw rocks at someone's dog, blared loud music, and the like.

5. Border watchers attacked during training session, Video of the Attack on Friends of the Border in San Diego


32 posted on 10/25/2005 8:04:19 PM PDT by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
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To: DumpsterDiver

Time to destroy the ACLU. Legally, of course.


33 posted on 10/25/2005 10:19:43 PM PDT by calrighty (Taglines for sale or let......1 liners 50 cents! C'mon troops, finish em off!!)
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To: DumpsterDiver

ACLU SUCKS!

Do hardworking US citizens really pay union dues to belong to this CRAP? If so, they're screwing themselves.


34 posted on 10/26/2005 2:48:48 AM PDT by ncgal
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To: DumpsterDiver

The ACLU has been waiting for something like this. It wouldn't surprise me if they plant people in the Minutemen with orders to act like dumb a$$es just to give them cause.


35 posted on 10/26/2005 2:58:57 AM PDT by Gum Shoe
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To: gubamyster

Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!

Support our Minutemen Patriots!

Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!


36 posted on 10/26/2005 7:47:09 AM PDT by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: DumpsterDiver
Today the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico expressed concern over

Anything beginning with that, you just know is gonna be a doosie. Isn't this the case where the imposter-Minuteman gave the illegals a ride? If so, glad he was arrested but surely he'll get his day in court.

37 posted on 10/26/2005 7:50:42 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: Tammy8

Well, should have read further down the thread for the REAL story. Amazing how these so called "reporters" can't seem to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.


38 posted on 10/26/2005 7:53:31 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: DumpsterDiver

My question is how in God's name does this country allow an organization FOUNDED BY A COMMUNIST wreak so much incredible misery on it's citzen's? Combining shyster lawyerism with communistic principles is a toxic combination detrimental to the future of our (alleged) republic.


39 posted on 10/26/2005 8:02:29 AM PDT by american spirit (Can you handle the truth? - www.rbnlive.com ( 4-6 CST M-F)) / click "listen live")
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