Home >> United States & Canada >> Immigration

     Email   Print 

Resounding Success: Minutemen Have Made a Difference on the Border and in Washington

Jeff Hartwick, Esq. - 4/20/2005

In recent days, the Minuteman Project (MMP) has stirred up a lot of controversy for its activity along the U.S.-Mexico border. Liberal activists have been concerned about possible "human rights violations" against illegal aliens by the MMP volunteers. And even President Bush implied that the Minutemen were "vigilantes." But the critics have been proved wrong. The project has thus far been a resounding success.

The Minuteman Project (MMP) is a grass-roots effort dedicated to bringing public attention to the problem of massive, uncontrolled illegal immigration into the United States. With anywhere from 6 to 12 millions illegal aliens inside the U.S., few can deny that there is a problem.

Since April 1, the MMP has placed hundreds of volunteers from all over the country along a 20-mile stretch of the desolate Arizona-Mexico border plagued by thousands of illicit crossings. The volunteers' assignment: to observe the entry of illegal immigrants into the U.S. and to report it to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Volunteers are not yahoos, but are a diverse, law-abiding group of professionals, blue collar workers, retired military and law enforcement personnel, and even naturalized citizens.

After orientation by organizers, volunteers set up observation posts, and some patrol along known illegal-alien trails. When a migrant is spotted, volunteers notify the Border Patrol. The illegal immigrant is observed until apprehended by federal agents.

The MMP has been successful for several reasons. First, the federal government was shamed into deploying more agents to the Arizona border. Over 500 Border Patrol agents and additional air assets were pledged to the region a few days before the MMP began. It is unlikely that this would have been done but for the MMP.

Second, the presence of the MMP volunteers has acted as a deterrent to those seeking to cross the border illegally. Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal aliens fell in the MMP sector, from 302 on March 31 to 74 on April 5. Further drops are expected as word spreads to would be border crossers and their coyotes.

Third, the effort has brought favorable media attention to a region neglected by Washington. Hundreds of reporters from around the world covered the story. More Americans are now aware that much of the U.S.-Mexico border is an unguarded sieve. This poses not only a national security threat but a fiscal threat to U.S. towns that are forced to educate, incarcerate, and provide free health care to illegal aliens.

Fourth, the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) fear of anti-immigrant violence proved unfounded. The ACLU has sent volunteers to monitor the monitors, hoping to catch not illegal aliens but Minutemen violating the rights of immigrants. To date, they have been disappointed. The Minutemen have adhered to a much publicized and effective code of conduct that permits only observation, not physical confrontation. (Interestingly, it appears that ACLU activists set off remote sensors used to track illegal aliens, forcing the Border Patrol to respond to false alarms.) "Vigilantism" reminiscent of the Wild West never occurred.

Finally, the Minutemen have shown what is possible. It is telling that only a few hundred citizens can effectively shut down border crossings simply by their peaceful, non-violent presence. What if the Border Patrol were given several thousand more agents? The current state of chaos would end, and a semblance of law and order would return to the border. Drug runners, terrorists, and those violating federal immigration laws would be unable to enter the U.S. without extraordinary effort. Migrants would also be discouraged from attempting the dangerous desert crossing in the first place.

The public is fed up with uncontrolled illegal immigration. The recent passage by Arizona voters of an initiative that cuts off certain public benefits to illegals (despite vocal opposition from Arizona's elected officials), as well as the Minuteman phenomenon, are reflections of the growing dissatisfaction with the status quo.

It is fundamental that a nation has the right and obligation to defend its borders. More resources must be devoted to policing the borders. If this does not happen anarchy will only increase along the border, and millions more will flout U.S. laws and sovereignty.

The Minutemen (and women) of today are doing yeomen's work, work that their forefathers at Lexington and Concord would doubtless be proud. If only America's elected officials would effectively respond to the call of duty.