Posted on 08/31/2002 2:20:36 PM PDT by Marine Inspector
SHERMAN OAKS — Glen Spencer of the American Patrol here envisions a day when his border watchdog organization staffs satellite offices all along the U.S.-Mexico border to coordinate and support the activities of "Hawkeyes."
The soon-to-be-formed group of private citizens will be made up of people who want to report illegal immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol and document their findings in an online database, according to Spencer, a retired computer consultant from Sherman Oaks and the founder of the American Patrol.
The American Patrol plans to start accepting applications from people who want to be his "Hawkeyes" Sept. 1.
Imperial Valley residents who are part of American Patrol's database will be privately notified of the procedure for signing up. Those who do will be screened in order to "qualify sources of information," Spencer said.
After the "quiet rollout" for existing members of his database, the masses will be allowed to log onto an as-yet-unveiled Web site and fill out an online application form, he said.
Spencer was asked to estimate the number of Imperial Valley-ites already in his database. Talking on a cell phone while driving, he said he couldn't provide an exact total because he didn't have his computer in front of him. He did say Imperial County has its share.
Asked if he plans to open an Imperial County office anytime soon to recruit even more, he said, "Not yet ... one of these days."
Spencer's group has two bases, his office in Sherman Oaks and an office in Sierra Vista, Ariz., a small border town south of Tuscon with an airfield that's ideal for the patrol's "air force," Sherman said.
The airfield allows patrol members to fly west along the border to San Diego and over Imperial County while looking for illegal immigrants or east toward El Paso and Brownsville, Texas. Pretty soon the patrol's flotilla might include a helicopter.
"One guy said he is selling his yacht to buy one," Spencer said.
Once a Patrol member spots a suspected group of illegal immigrants he or she reports the information to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Once the online journals from "Hawkeyes" are up and running, the American Patrol will have illegal immigration data and a record of U.S. Border Patrol activity or inactivity.
Spencer was asked if the U.S. Border Patrol supports his plan when "Hawkeyes" might find and document negligence that could give the already embattled agency a black eye. He said some Border Patrol agents have privately supported his plan.
As for those agents who think he should leave the patrolling to them, Spencer stressed his group is not critical of agents but is of supervisors and administration.
The U.S. Border Patrol has not released an official statement on Spencer or his group.
With his expected reams of data and anecdotal journal entries, Spencer hopes to improve the efficiency of the U.S. Border Patrol, helping the agency allocate its resources better.
Spencer thinks the agency needs help because its aim of securing the border is growing more important every day.
According to Spencer, the border dividing the U.S. and Mexico could soon become a battleground in a reprise of 1848's Mexican-American war as Mexicans attempt to physically take back the land the U.S. took control of following Mexico's defeat at the hands of U.S. forces and the hastily brokered Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo more than a century ago.
To stave off the possibility of such a conflict, Spencer advocates a practically impenetrable border and an end to services for illegal immigrants already here. Some have called Spencer's organization a "hate group," intent on provoking conflict.
Spencer said his group has been deliberately smeared as a militant group of vigilantes by a number of immigrant rights groups.
Those are accusations, "which, of course, are not true," he said, although Spencer declined to be interviewed by a reporter this week from a Spanish-language newspaper. Asked if his "Hawkeyes" would get baseball caps or badges they could put on their coats if they signed up, Spencer said the American Patrol will issue identification cards but no caps or badges.
>> Staff Writer Aaron Claverie can be reached at 337-3419 or aclaverie@aol.com
Bush should be ashamed for ignoring the borders like he has done, and because of that and his other liberal tendencies, I just can't vote for him again. I'll vote third party.
I told them that President Bush and the Republicans should get serious about the border if they're truly serious about security, instead of worrying about the "Hispanic" vote.
They didn't bother asking for a contribution when I got done with them.
BULL
This is exactly what all americans should have been doing for years it just took 911 to wake people the hell up it dont have nothing to do with bush or any of the administration
Blaming everything on everyone else is typicle
If it is successful, I'm sure it will expand to the other states along the border.
Give em' hell, DL.
They've actually got the nerve to be bragging about their support for an extention of 245(i) on the Republican Party website.
I hope the illegal aliens are going to send them money, because I'm not.
Let the illegal aliens have the Republican Party.
"Principled Leadership" my eye.
"Blaming everything on everyone else is typical."
Bush took office 11/2000 and did absolutely nothing to put a stop to illegal immigration.
Then Bush appoints a pro-illegal immigration, libertarian, open borders advocate by the name of James Ziglar on August 6, 2001.
Not only did Ziglar and Bush not secure our borders after 9/11, they made it worse! What with Bush coming out for amnesty and Ziglar saying he didn't believe in deportation, another 1.9 million to 4.4 million illegal aliens have crossed the borders since 9/11.
What Bush, Ziglar and the Republican Party have done is criminal and unforgivable.
The Republicans are going to lose, because of it.
BULLHOCKEY this illegal stuff has been going pn for years since way before the first bush blaming it all on just this one id ridiculouse to say the least
No-one has to hold Bush responsible for anything, but his own INACTION. He has plenty in his 2 short years in office to be held accountable at the polls for.
Here's the short list of what Bush, HIMSELF, is responsible. You can't blame any of this on any past Presidents.
1) Ziglar
2) 245(i)
3) 1.9 to 4.4 million more illegal aliens since 9/11.
4) Giving up the naval training bases on Vieques, Roosevelt Roads and Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico without a fight for Hispanic votes and contributions.
5) Increasing foreign aid by 50%.
6) Flushing more U.S. Taxpayer's dollars down the education toilet.
7) Keeping all of these creepy Clinton hold-overs in key positions of public trust.
8) Allowing the State Department to retain the Saudi Arabian Visa Express Program, changing only the name and not ending the practice of allowing Saudi travel agents to issue U.S. Visas.
9) Pandering to the Hispanic Party and taking the Republican Party way to the left.
Go take a look at the leftist issues the GOP is bragging about supporting on the GOP website in order to win the Hispanic votes.
10) Etc..
When you say it's the same as it's always been, that's exactly the point.
Bush has fixed nothing.
Bush has improved nothing.
Bush has made things worse.
Bush has got to go.
Let's see your list. Try making a factual answer for once.
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