Minuteman Wrap Up April 30th, 2006

Minutemen Wrap Up Successful Patrol In Arizona

On April 30th the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps ended their 30 day patrol in Arizona having reported hundreds of sightings of suspected illegal aliens and the trespassing of a group of suspected ACLU "Legal Observers" who loitered on the roadside on as the Minuteman convoy rolled up and down Hwy 286 on their daily deployments.

Hundreds of volunteers from several states participated in the 2nd Annual April patrol in Arizona that was designed to assist the US Border Patrol in the apprehension of illegal aliens and act as a deterrent to future illegal border crossers.

The scene during the day was one of dozens Border Patrol trucks, Jeeps and Humvees moving quickly in both directions on Hwy 286, south west of Tucson, delivering illegal aliens to an area near Hwy 86 at Three Points where they were searched and loaded on DHS buses to be returned through Port of Entry at Nogales.

At night, in addition to the vehicular traffic, helicopters patrolled with powerful search lights to easily pinpoint illegals so ground units could quickly move in to take them into custody.

USBP radio transmissions crackled day and night with messages that began, "Civilian report of…" Later on there would be reports of apprehensions in the areas that the Minuteman had reported groups suspected illegal aliens.

There were no allegations of illegal activity this year as the MCDC was invited to patrol on private property. And, the only contact that the Minutemen had with illegal aliens was when some came to the front gate of the ranch house that was being used as a base of operations and requested water. First they were given water then they were reported to the Border Patrol who quickly arrived and took the illegals into custody. This was repeated about a half a dozen times during the month.

In addition to observing and reporting illegal aliens, the Minutemen found a lay-up area in their patrol area that was literally a disgraceful sea of trash and garbage.

One bit of harassment that I observed on Saturday was a car full of critics who drove past the ranch house screaming obscenities as they passed.

Several Minutemen reported cordial conversations with Border Patrol agents who appreciated the volunteer effort, some of whom opined that the MCDC efforts helped them.

Chris Simcox, Stacy O'Connell and Granny Brigade co-founders Carmen Mercer and Connie Faust repeated praised the efforts of the Minutemen, and when asked why this year's effort was a success they all gave credit to the volunteers.

After a well deserved rest, future deployments and projects will be planned and announced. Rick Oltman, Western Field Director