Free Republic

Anti-illegal immigration activist Chris Simcox split from Jim Gilchrist last year, and favors neither side in Gilchrist's current lawsuit. Jim Gilchrist goes back to court Wednesday, this time hoping to convince Judge Randell Wilkinson not to place his Minuteman Project Inc. into an independent receivership while control of the group is litigated. This tussle with former allies isn't the first of Gilchrist's internal conflicts in the battle against illegal immigration. While Gilchrist was running a border-watch operation with Minuteman co-founder Chris Simcox in April 2005, the two had a falling out. Simcox went on to form his own group. Last...

A simmering illegal-immigration debate at the University of Texas at San Antonio— where 45 percent of students are Hispanic — erupted into a heated protest Wednesday during an outdoor speech by Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a group of volunteers who patrol the Mexican border to stop immigrants from entering the country illegally. UTSA's chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas invited Simcox to speak to draw attention to the lack of security on the border, said Laura Morales, the group's executive director. Liberal groups descended on the Simcox talk, booing and chanting "Racist, fascist go...

Demonstration disrupts speech by controversial group's founder Police escorted five protesters outside during a Tuesday evening speech by Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, arresting one and detaining another, said University spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon. The Young Conservatives of Texas hosted Simcox, who spoke at the Geology Building. Constant chants and heckling from demonstrators hindered Simcox's speech, resulting in the police's intervention. Weldon said one individual was arrested with a criminal trespassing charge, and another was detained briefly for "interfering with a police officer." The Minuteman Corps, which consists of citizen volunteers, aids in the discovery of illegal...

Sunday was a big day for the minutemen civil defense corps. Several men and women from different states arrived in the Valley to fight illegal immigration. They say they have $25 thousand dollars worth of equipment and hundreds of volunteers lined up. "We have thermal and night vision scopes and supplies given to us by national headquarters in Arizona. We will use those at night. During the day we'll use our eyes and ears and binoculars," said group leader Clark Kirby But why is this group so focused on catching immigrants trying to make their way across? Steve Macbrian from...

THREE POINTS — Armed with lawn chairs, binoculars and, in some cases, sidearms, dozens of volunteers from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps gathered Saturday at a private ranch in the Altar Valley to kick off a monthlong border watch campaign in Arizona. The volunteers plan to set up 24-hour observation posts in the desert north of Sasabe to spot illegal immigration and drug smuggling and report it to the U.S. Border Patrol. “It’s our civic duty,” Minuteman Civil Defense Corps president Chris Simcox told the approximately 60 Minutemen gathered at Saturday’s rally. “And we are making a difference.” Simcox said...

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) -- About 10 members of the Ku Klux Klan crashed a rally organized by the anti-illegal immigration group the Minuteman Project Saturday, police said. Wearing black T-shirts with the KKK insignia, their faces covered with bandanas and sunglasses, the group chanted and waved American flags. Minuteman Project spokesman Raymond Herrera said his group of about 40 decided to leave when the Klan members showed up. He said the group did not invite the racist organization to join the rally and would no longer post the dates of its rallies on the Web. ``We dont approve of...

The Minuteman organization will soon be in the Rio Grande Valley. Their presence has many on the Mexican side of the border concerned over their activities, especially the Mexican Consulate in McAllen. The Minuteman's first border operation will start this weekend and just as they plan to have their eyes on illegal crossings, the Mexican Government will have their eyes on them. Miriam Medel, Mexican Consulate spokesperson, tells Action 4 News they'll be very vigilant all weekend. "We want to make sure that no human rights are violated, and make sure that it's only the authorized personnel, the people who...

UPDATED: 7:07 am CST March 9, 2007 SAN ANTONIO -- Volunteers from a border patrol watchdog group are monitoring the streets of Kerrville to look out for a suspected child predator. The volunteers from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps came to help the Hill Country city after some citizens reported child predator incidents. A few months ago, in front of a community center, a young girl claimed that someone tried to grab her while she waited for a school bus in the early morning darkness. Another person reported a similar incident at an apartment complex in February. Several days after...

WICHITA, Kan. - An uneasy alliance on illegal immigration has been forged in this rural Midwestern state between the Kansas Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and the Peoples Alliance for Latino Advancement. But not everyone in the state's Hispanic community is happy to see it. The two groups held a joint public forum Thursday night in Wichita to outline their common mission on stopping illegal immigration. Most of the 70 or so people who came were white - the few Hispanics who attended said others told them they feared being deported if they came. Some said a Spanish-language radio station warned...

Advocates offer support to workers; others aim to expose illegal status GARLAND – Tucked between railroad tracks and a cemetery is a site that is part of a national debate over blue-collar workers outfitted with sturdy work boots but flimsy work documents. On one side are U.S. citizens who want to expose and shame employers who hire illegal immigrant workers. On the other are Mexican diplomats and U.S. advocates who want to ensure that both legal and illegal immigrant workers get a fair shake. And in the middle is the city of Garland, along with others in North Texas that...

Minutemen finish border fence on a Palominas ranch By Jonathan Clark/Wick News Service BISBEE - Eight months after breaking ground on a 10-mile stretch of border fencing at the Palominas ranch of John and Jack Ladd, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps says it has completed the project. Officials with the civilian border watch group report that a team of volunteers finished the final 7 1/2-mile length of five-strand barbed wire fencing on Sunday after working 20 consecutive days on the effort. Volunteers and a hired contractor completed the first 2 1/2 miles of fencing in July after beginning work in...

Original Minuteman Tony Dolz has started a Los Angeles chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The new chapter is called LA Minutemen and it will focus on grassroots activism, border watches, political service and education. The LA Minutemen celebrate diversity and promote LEGAL IMMIGRATION and assimilation. Racism and hate speech will not be tolerated. Current MCDC members living in LA County are needed to fill leadership positions. Meetings will begin in March and will feature guest speakers and an open forum. All are welcome. For information or to join the LA Minutemen, contact Tony Dolz at (310) 383-3600 or...

Ben Grantham of N and B Fence works on a 17-foot-long post, part of a planned 0.9-mile fence to be erected on rancher Richard Hodges' 372-acre spread. and my family,". The section of new fencing on Richard Hodges' property, left, is dwarfed by the U.S.-Mexican border barrier between Douglas and Agua Prieta, Sonora. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps would like to build another fence beside the current fence and encase it in a high-tech mesh to detect entrants. Kelly Presnell / arizona daily star AREA OF FENCE The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is backing its big talk with a big...

One of the charitable organizations cited by Minuteman Civil Defense Corps boss Chris Simcox on why financial accountability concerns raised by some corps members were unfounded has been fined for failing to keep its own financial records in order, The Washington Times has learned. The Declaration Foundation, a tax-exempt charity created by conservative activist Alan Keyes, who has vigorously supported the Minuteman movement, was fined $6,500 in August and prohibited by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations from soliciting donations until it becomes "properly registered." The Aug. 18 "agreement and order," signed by Declaration Foundation Executive Director Mary Parker Lewis,...

An Arizona civilian border patrol group has released financial records to answer questions about how the nonprofit spends contributions, but some former Texas members said they still aren't sure where the money goes. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps collected more than $54,000 in registration fees for background checks but spent only about $1,000 for that purpose last year, according to an IRS form and audit report released by group leader Chris Simcox. The group raised more than $418,000, mostly through contributions, and spent nearly $450,000, including about $280,000 for "program services" and $145,000 on fundraising. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps...

HOUSTON — For the first time, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. has revealed a smattering of intriguing details on its finances, but some former members want to know more about how the group has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributors' money. Chris Simcox, the founder of nonprofit border watch group, posted IRS forms and an audit on his Internet site Nov. 15 in response to media reports raising concerns about how the group was handling its contributions. The new documents offer a glimpse into the organization's finances, former Minuteman loyalists say, but leave several unanswered questions. "Just too...

A political action committee created by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, whose financial accountability has been challenged by MCDC members, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to support Republican candidates -- much of it through private companies with ties to conservative activist Alan Keyes. Claiming access to 500,000 households nationwide, the Minuteman PAC has pledged to do what it can financially to help elect "committed and principled conservative leaders" -- citing as examples MCDC President Chris Simcox and Mr. Keyes. "Our intent is to secure our borders, and we are hoping to influence the elections to get...

Join Our Sidewalk Rally … Stand for American Workers Dear Fellow Patriot: The illegal alien lobby is planning a massive protest this week on Thursday afternoon, staging outside the Radisson Hotel in Los Angeles , and marching down Century and Sepulveda Blvd. to disrupt traffic to LAX (see www.september28th.org for more details). The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps PAC, in alliance with many other sponsors and participants, is countering this so-called “Beyond Legalization” civil disruption with a patriotic rally – “American Workers for the Rule of Law!” If you are anywhere within driving distance of Los Angeles International Airport , I...

Wild Bill's, a cavernous nightclub in the Atlanta suburbs, is usually packed with country-and-western fans on a Saturday night. But the buzzing throng of hundreds on June 24 didn't come to see Keith Urban or LeAnn Rimes. Georgia's GOP Capitol Political Action Committee was hosting "Primary Issues," a concert, barbecue and Republican fundraiser headlined by a different kind of star: celebrity vigilante Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC). A 43-year-old former gunfight-show actor with an Ichabod Crane physique and a self-image the size of Texas, Simcox is chiefly responsible for touching off the Minuteman movement, a...