Immigrant: Minuteman trio held him against his will

[Delw]

Associated Press
Apr. 7, 2005 06:55 AM

TUCSON - Three civilian volunteers patrolling the border for undocumented migrants and smugglers are being investigated after an immigrant told authorities he was held by them against his will.

The volunteers said they were members of the Minuteman Project - a monthlong effort that has people from around the country fanned out along the border to report undocumented migrants and smugglers trying to sneak into the country. Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence or an accidental confrontation between armed volunteers and authorities.

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, Border Patrol agents called in deputies from the Cochise County Sheriff's Office to report that an immigrant was detained south of Sierra Vista by three men who identified themselves as volunteers of the Minuteman Project. advertisement




Carol Capas, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, said the 26-year-old man from Obregon, Mexico, told agents he was physically restrained and forced to hold a shirt while his picture was taken and he was videotaped.

The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt."

Barton, who is from California, told agents that he and the other two volunteers waived the man over to them, offered the immigrant food and water, and gave him the T-shirt and money before the Border Patrol arrived.

Barton also also provided deputies with the videotape that purportedly shows the incident. Capas said investigators were reviewing the tape. The volunteers were not arrested or ticketed, she said.

"We do not have the time nor the patience for anyone attempting to turn this situation into a three ring circus," Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said in a statement released Wednesday.

The investigation is being continued by the Sheriff's Office and a report will be forwarded to the county attorney's office for review, Capas said.

Minuteman spokesman Grey Deacon said project organizers were told by sheriff's officials that the incident wasn't a problem and the matter was closed.

"All they did was provide water and wait for the Border Patrol," Deacon said. "What's the big deal?"

Meanwhile, Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants have dropped notably in the Naco area since civilian volunteers began gathering there.

Agency spokesmen credit an increased presence by Mexican authorities south of the border and say it's too soon to tell whether the volunteers are having an impact or causing smugglers to shift elsewhere, but others are reporting such a swing.

Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that her office has been told by the Border Patrol and others that migrant traffic is surging in areas beyond the roughly 20-mile line formed by volunteers for the Minuteman Project. That includes the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation to the west, a favored crossing point for illegal immigrants.

"The traffic flows through Arizona because they tightened down in California and Texas, and when you pull on the border, it is like a bedsheet, and the traffic moves," Napolitano said. "And until you have operational control of the entire Arizona border, you cannot say that progress has been made. And we don't have it, and the Minutemen can't give it to us."

On Tuesday night, Border Patrol agents pulled three illegal immigrants out of the desert who were in need of food and water after the border crossers activated a rescue beacon northeast of Topawa, on the Tohono O'odham Reservation.

The volunteers, many of whom were recruited over the Internet, plan to watch the border in shifts 24 hours a day throughout April and report any illegal activity to federal agents.

Project organizers say they want to draw attention to problems on the Arizona-Mexico border, considered the most vulnerable stretch of the 2,000-mile southern border. Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants caught by the Border Patrol last year, more than half crossed into the country at Arizona.

With the exception of Wednesday's incident, Border Patrol officials said the volunteers have remained peaceful. However, they have continued to unwittingly trip sensors that alert the agency to possible intruders, forcing agents to respond to false alarms. Authorities said volunteer footprints have also made if difficult for agents to track illegal immigrants.

Organizers said more than 1,000 volunteers had signed up and more than 800 were expected to take part over the month of April. There is no way to verify the count independently since authorities aren't keeping track of the numbers.

---

On the Net:

Here you go Jose formally known as elkgunner, something for you to wine and cry about...

 

[MattK]

DelW- from what the article reads, the minutemen did nothing wrong. Everyone knows the ACLU and others are watching every move the minutemen are making and probably setting the minutemen up. It's the job of the minutemen to not put themselves in any position that might compromise what they are doing. The best suggestion I have is for them to observe, radio in and have NO contact with anyone they think may be crossing the border.

 

[az hunters who care]

From what I heard the whole incident is on video, and the minutemen did nothing wrong. The illegal flagged them down and asked for water. They gave him water and food, and then called BP. Then they offered the guy $20 to hold up a t-shirt for a picture, and the guys said sure.....

Dont believe everything you hear on the TV...

 

[Delw]

Az I heard the same thing.


Delw

 

[Moosie]

So they knew he was an Illegal imagrant and Game him MONEY !!!!

Why is it different when I give mexicans here $20 to work for me ?

 

[tufferthandug]

Moosie says, "hold this bag of bread w/molasses"
dude goes, "cee"
Moosie says, "wait here, and i'll give you 20 bucks at the end of the day"

 

[ELKCHSR]

What ever happend to that immigrant you found that morning a couple years or so ago at your place of work?
You remember the one....
"Morning Stupids"

 

[az hunters who care]

Here is the latest:

Officials: Man Not Held Against His Will


Email this Story

Apr 7, 3:25 PM (ET)

By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN

(AP) A group of migrants walks to cross the border fence to Arizona desert Wednesday April 6, 2005, in...
Full Image



TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities determined Thursday that three volunteers involved in a civilian project to watch the border and report illegal crossers did not hold an illegal immigrant against his will.

The Mexican man had told sheriff's deputies that he was detained and forced to pose for a picture holding a T-shirt with a mocking slogan. The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt." Barton was one of the three volunteers.

"The county attorney's office reviewed all available evidence, that indicates that there was no forcible detention, therefore the case is not substantiated, and no charges are pending," said Carol Capas, a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.

The sheriff's department, Mexican Consul Miguel Escobar and the U.S. Border Patrol also agreed that the 26-year-old man was not detained, said Capas and Border Patrol spokeswoman Andrea Zortman.

The volunteers involved in Wednesday's incident identified themselves as members of the Minuteman Project - a monthlong effort that has people from around the country spread out along a stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border to report undocumented migrants and smugglers.

Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence. Mexico's foreign relations department also pledged in the days leading up to the civilian operation to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the volunteers and ensure that they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens.

Wednesday's incident was the first reporting any possible detention, though volunteers earlier assisted an immigrant in distress.

 

[MarvB]

Nooo Moosie...He GAVE him money!

And besides, you always pay in Canadian currency.....

 

[BigHornRam]

I say hang all the illegal SOB's!

 

[JoseCuervo]

I say hang all the illegal SOB's!

BHR,
One of the roofers drop a hammer on your head???
I don't quite think you're in "context"..... Maybe you can ask the Doctor to remove your feeding tube.

 

[Ten Bears]

No detention = No harm = No foul.

 

[cjcj]

The press/A.C.L.U are really scrapping to find something bad about the minutemen/women very weak pathetic.. Jim Gilcrist has the whole thing on Video and has sent it to Hannity/Colmes lets see who`s lying....