I've been trying to follow this issue of citizen border patrols and just doesn't make sense to me. It seems counter-productive.
The un-official, un-written policy on these illegals is that if they get caught trying to enter, they are sent back. But if they don't get captured while entering, they may stay.
By patroling the border, the citizen patrol is buying into that un-official policy.
What they really need to do is patrol a restaurant and apprehend a busboy. This would accomplish several things:
It would generate a lot more media exposure.
It would point out how easy it is for INS to locate an illegal.
It would serve to identify those that employ illegals.
It would serve as an oppurtunity to point a finger at the restaurant patrons whose actions are promoting illegal immigration.
The illegals do not stay in Cochise County. It's too close to the border -- too much chance of getting caught and deported. There are no jobs for them here, anyway. The population is small and the needs for business are small. There are Mexican nationals working here -- legal Mexicans from Agua Prieta and Naco who commute every day.
The ranches are mostly family-run. The high school and college crowd has most of the restaurant and retail jobs. The biggest employer here is Fort Huachuca, and you're not gonna see a bunch of illegals hired to work for the Army Intelligence Center. The rest of the jobs are mostly high tech and most require a security clearance.
Most of the illegals are only here in Cochise County for a few hours, but the destruction they leave in their passing is unbelievable.