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PUERTO PEÑASCO, Sonora - Concerned about the growing number of armed civilians in southern Arizona patrolling the Arizona-Sonora border on their own, the leaders of both states and a powerful cross-border lobbying group called Friday for investigations to see if any of the patrols are breaking the law. The Arizona-Mexico Commission took up the issue during its semi-annual conference this week in Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, recommending that Arizona officials "address the vigilante situation in Cochise County." The commission is a public-private organization with offices in Arizona and Sonora, chaired by each state's governor and which has strongly influenced cross-border relations for more than four decades. The issue of "vigilantes" in Arizona's border region is not new, but until this year, most talk focused on rancher Roger Barnett, who made international headlines for detaining illegal crossers on his 22,000-acre ranch near the border in Douglas. But newly formed groups have made their presence known in the area. They include American Border Patrol in Sierra Vista, which videotapes illegal crossings, and Texas-based Ranch Rescue, which organizes groups, including volunteers with military training, on missions to protect ranchers who encounter crossers on their property. Gov. Jane Hull, Gov.-elect Janet Napolitano and Sonora Gov. Armando López Nogales all spoke on the issue Friday at the conclusion of the conference. The groups are not particularly welcome, because they create public unrest, but none will be prosecuted unless and until evidence of unlawful acts surfaces, all three leaders concurred. Napolitano said she has already talked with county, state and federal law enforcement officials in Arizona and is confident they have not overlooked the matter. When and if there's enough evidence to go after these groups, then they'll be targeted, Napolitano said. The commission's border affairs committee, composed of border-town mayors, was the group that issued the recommendation on border civilian groups. The committee also tackled other immigration-related subjects, such as calling for Arizona to serve as the first test site for a federal guest worker program, which would allow Mexican citizens to cross the border legally for work. Also, it asked for an application fee cap on biometric cards used by Mexicans to get across the border, mostly to shop. The commission's other theme-based committees also offered recommendations for the Arizona and Sonora governments to consider. Those included placing more U.S. agricultural inspectors at the border for swifter transportation of Mexican cattle border into Arizona; creating new lanes at Arizona's main ports of entry so border commuters don't get stuck in traffic; and conducting an air-quality study in the border region near Yuma and San Luis.
Reach the reporter at hernan.rozemberg@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8480. |
