Posted on 04/18/2005 2:39:17 PM PDT by Spiff
Minuteman founder leaving border early but volunteers to remain
By Arthur H. Rotstein
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:32 p.m. April 18, 2005
TUCSON, Ariz. – The chief organizer of civilian volunteers who are spending the month watching for illegal immigrants and smugglers along the Mexican border is pulling out of the Minuteman Project early, a project official said Monday.
Jim Gilchrist, a retired accountant from California, will leave Arizona on Wednesday and plans to appear before the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus next week in Washington. He will be taking the official Minuteman Project name and a group of volunteers.
"He is claiming victory ... so he felt it would be appropriate to wrap up his participation this week and prepare to go to Washington," said Chris Simcox, the project's field operations director.
Simcox, who also plans to be in Washington next week, said Gilchrist isn't severing his ties to the project or with other organizers.
Despite Gilchrist's departure and Simcox's temporary absence, Simcox said patrols will continue as planned until April 30, albeit under the name of Simcox's organization – Civil Homeland Defense.
The volunteers, some of whom are armed, arrived on April 1 and began spreading out a few days later along a 23-mile stretch of desert between the border communities of Naco and Douglas. They alert authorities when they see someone cross the border illegally, but are not allowed to detain anyone.
Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence, an accidental confrontation between armed volunteers and authorities, or a dangerous encounter with the violent smugglers who use the area.
The volunteers claim their reports have led the Border Patrol to more than 260 illegal immigrants. The Border Patrol has acknowledged receiving more than 300calls from Naco and Douglas, resulting in hundreds of apprehensions, but the agency will not say whether any calls came from project volunteers.
certainly got folks' attention in ol' mechico.
When is the bunch In Yuma due to get to work?
Another incredibly misleading headline. It sounds like he's bailing out on the Minutemen. Instead, he's just leaving to go to represent the group in Washington.
Thank you all for what you have done so far!!!
Will you be going to Washington?
Sean Hannity is supposed to be having his show from down there tonight with J.D. Hayworth---
BTW, what is your take on the veteran that held that group of illegals at gunpoint and then called 911?--got himself arrested for it, I think...
Chris Simcox has been to Yuma to train people there on how to do this. I don't know if the same people are involved with the Yuma Patriots though.
That's why I added the tag at the end. The original headline was garbage but posting guidelines demanded that I leave it intact.
I didn't mean your doings, Spiff. I just meant the way it was originally written in the article you referenced.
You can always depend on the media to lie and distort.
"MM Co-Founder to Testify before Congressional Committee"
is a bit better? Libs make me puke.
Nam Vet
The volunteers, some of whom are armed...
I've noticed this is the ALWAYS the first seven words written when the MSM reports on the minutemen..what a bunch of wahoos!
ping
Sean Hannity needs to get educated a little more. He talks about terrorists as the problem and about legalizing the illegals.
I was on the border yesterday and know that we cannot sustain the influx of any people at the rate they are coming, legally or illegally. It is destroying both cultures to allow this to happen and the the only beneficiaries are the employers.
Maybe Sean is kissing?????????????????
Mr Bush needs to wake up and see that Fox is peeing down his leg and telling him its raining.
Thanks for keeping us all in the loop. I know the Ranchers down there are appreciative.
Should be "must see t.v." in Washington next week.
Maybe Sean is kissing?????? Oh absolutely he is kissing a$$!!!
This negative attitude from LE is in ALL articles I read, not just those written by liberals.
Jealousy, or what?
Leni
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