Immigrant-rights group intensifies fight against civilian patrols on border

Associated Press via the Arizona Daily Star ^ | 8/12/03

[Tancredo Fan]

Updated 5:54 pm Aug 12, 2003

Immigrant-rights group intensifies fight against civilian patrols on border

The Associated Press

PHOENIX - An advocacy group wants to file a lawsuit on behalf of migrants who say they were victimized by armed civilian groups patrolling the border, and is seeking victims willing to serve as plaintiffs.

The Border Action Network claims the groups operate outside the law and violate the rights of immigrants. They hope to pressure authorities to intervene.

The self-appointed border patrol groups deny they are breaking the law, and said they pass along to authorities information that volunteers collect about illegal border-crossers.

Volunteers for the Border Action Network are stretching their search for alleged victims along the entire border and as far south as the Mexican state of Chiapas. The advocates began asking victims to come forward earlier this year through ads and radio spots in Sonora, Mexico.

Once alleged victims come forward, attorneys plan to sue the people or groups accused of assaulting, robbing, intimidating or illegally detaining border-crossers.

"The purpose of the suit is to get at their pocketbook," said Jesus Romo, a civil rights attorney in Tucson. "Our purpose is to bankrupt these individuals so that they stop their actions."

No lawsuits have been filed thus far.

Border Action Network plans to continue using radio spots and newspaper ads to find plaintiffs, particularly focusing in areas where migrants originate.

Finding plaintiffs for civil lawsuits also could make it easier for prosecutors and other officials to open investigations into the activities of civilian patrol groups, said Zoe Hammer-Tomizuka, a Border Action Network volunteer.

Glenn Spencer, president of American Border Patrol, an organization based in Sierra Vista that monitors illegal border-crossers, says his group operates lawfully and does not interfere with migrants.

Still, he said he's concerned about groups that plan to file lawsuits. "Things are getting a little hairy," he said. "They're heightening feelings on both sides of the border. They are trying to rabble-rouse."

Another group that has patrolled the Arizona-Mexico border was sued in Texas over two incidents of alleged abuse against detained migrants.

A lawsuit filed in May accuses Ranch Rescue and others of assaulting, falsely imprisoning and robbing six people during two incidents in March in rural south Texas.

The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles joined in filing the lawsuit. The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors the political movements of groups from white supremacist groups to eco-terrorists.

[F.J. Mitchell]

The scofflaws from the land of the lawless, are using the laws of the land of the lawabiding against those who will resist the outlaw invaders, assisted by traitorous law organizations.

[StopGlobalWhining]

This could all be settled peacefully and legally if the federal government fulfilled their Constitutionally delegated authority to protect our borders.

If the federal government continues to ignore their responsibilities, it would be irresponsible for citizens not to step in and and take it into their own hands.

After all, the federal officials are supposed to work for us. We pay their salaries to do a specific job. If they fail to do so, then just as Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, we need to fire the people in Congress and their drones in the border patrol who fail to enforce the law.

It's up to the management then to do the job until we fill the positions with people who will do the job they are hired to do. And we are the management.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Like the 9th Circuit deporting the Guatemalan fellow who grew up here while crying about how it wasn't them, it was the heartlessly cruel American laws. They sacrificed him for their cause.

The Ford Foundation and the illegal immigration attorneys would sacrifice as many as it takes. I'd say they were no better than the Communists but there's too much overlap.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Let them sue.

[Tancredo Fan]

If the federal government continues to ignore their responsibilities, it would be irresponsible for citizens not to step in and and take it into their own hands.

They've been derelict for years. Nobody expected it to continue after that creep Clinton left office, and especially after September 11, 2001......yet it has. It appears that the time for them to do their jobs has expired as far as many angry citizens are concerned.

[King Prout]

valid points.

[BudgieRamone]

That's a distinct possibility.....S3 could become the rule.

[supercat]

Like the 9th Circuit deporting the Guatemalan fellow who grew up here while crying about how it wasn't them, it was the heartlessly cruel American laws. They sacrificed him for their cause.

Precisely. The government actively seeks to punish those who seek to obey the law (or bring themselves into compliance) while ignoring or rewarding those who openly flout it.

BTW, wouldn't that guy have been in the U.S. during at least one amnesty?

[judgeandjury]

I see that PRND21, Free Republic's resident illegal immigration cheerleader, has showed up once again on an illegal immigration thread to badmouth those who dare speak out in favor of securing our border with Mexico.

[supercat]

You seem to always show up at the illegal alien threads as a supporter of the wet backs. Why is that? I mean besides hating whites and wantng to see the country turn into a third world s**t hole.

One question I've never seen anyone answer is why illegal aliens should be treated better than legal immigration applicants?

[supercat]

You seem to always show up at the illegal alien threads as a supporter of the wet backs. Why is that? I mean besides hating whites and wantng to see the country turn into a third world s**t hole.

One question I've never seen anyone answer is why illegal aliens should be treated better than legal immigration applicants?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I'm willing to bet that Border Action Network gets tons of government funding non-profit style...

We need to find where they get their funding.

Follow the MONEY everyone.

[PRND21]

You seem to always show up at the illegal alien threads as a supporter of the wet backs.

Wrong. Got anymore baseless accusations?

[NewRomeTacitus]

"The scofflaws from the land of the lawless, are using the laws of the land of the law-abiding against those who will resist the outlaw invaders, assisted by traitorous law organizations."

Too true. How about, instead of violence, dragging these traitors into the harsh light of exposure by following the money? That would put a clamp on corruption simultaneously.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Found it!!

http://www.americanpatrol.com/REFERENCE/Border-Action-Network.html

This group is suspected of being closely tied to left-wing radical Morris Dees and his Southern Poverty Law Center, 'Mexican government agent' - vehement reconquista Isabel Garcia and her Aztlan gang, 'Derechos Humanos', and other anti-American groups.
According to this Indymedia website, The Border Action Network formed in 1999 under the name South West Alliance to Resist Militarization to fight the human and environmental injustices caused by the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border. In recognition of the broad and complex impacts of militarization, we are an alliance of border rights, environmental, social justice, human rights, and labor activists. Border Action Network is dedicated to exposing and ending the militarization of our borders and cities. We also understand that this group is big in anti-war and anti-WTO protests, etc., which may have involved violence or terrorism in the past.

[Tancredo Fan]

Try not to step in any troll droppings.... it stinks, and sometimes it's hard to get off the shoes.

[Jeff Gordon]

Illegal Aliens Immigrant-rights group intensifies fight against civilian patrols on border.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

To everyone except the thread pests:

IGNORE the thread pest. NEVER respond to him/them. He only wants to start fights and get people banned.

Remember one of our own, in fact SEVERAL of our own are not on these threads because of FEAR and INTIMIDATION from the thread pests. DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM. DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM!!! Several of our friends are banned because of this. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE THREAD PESTS!!! DO NOT LET THEM GET YOU IN ARGUMENTS! They want to get you banned!

Other than that have a nice day.

[NewRomeTacitus]

The Reagan amnesty was in 1986. That would put the Guatemalan kid at around five or six years old.

The Gipper screwed that pooch but good. Water under the bridge (and 13 million across the river).