Minuteman Project Splinters
As Leaders Stake Out New Turf
Alex Meneses Miyashita     [Photo]

Following their April Minuteman Project demonstration involving about 850 volunteer border guards in Arizona, the once- cohesive organization led by James Gilchrist has splintered into several groups.

Three of its main members have parted ways, with each staking out new turf.

Founder Gilchrist, of California, now heads Minuteman Project, Inc., which he says will concentrate on internal U.S. immigration operations. Aming its new tasks, he says, will be to target employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Arizona-based newspaper publisher Chris Simcox, co-founder of the original group, now runs the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. He says his corps already has chapters in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, and for the present it plans weekend and holiday patrols in New Mexico.

On Sept. 16, it will launch longer-term efforts in California, followed in October with actions elsewhere, he promises.

Former Minuteman volunteer James Chase has created the United States Border Patrol Auxiliary, which is based in California. Its chapters have adopted the names Arizona Minutemen, California Minutemen, New Mexico Minutemen and Texas Minutemen.

One of his groups, the 40-member New Mexico Minutemen, has taken the lead, starting patrols June 12 along a portion of the state's border with Mexico.

Chase told Hispanic Link News Service that his border patrol auxiliary will report immigrants crossing the border without documents, but would distinguish itself from Simcox's group and the original Minuteman Project in that "if people come across the border, we will give them water, food and blankets."

But Mike Gaddy, director of the New Mexico chapter of the new group headed by Simcox, told Hispanic Link that members of the New Mexico Minutemen may end up joining his group of about 950 members, in an effort to reconcile a series of back and forth accusations between the two leaders.

Paul Martínez, director of the League of United Latin American Citizens Council in Las Cruces, New Mexico, says that regardless of their differences, both groups are going to exacerbate racial tensions in the state.

Martínez emphasizes that his organization is particularly concerned about civil rights violations committed by any of the citizen militia groups. It is trying to identify provisions in the state law that could be used to prevent these groups from engaging in further activities. He adds that he is also encouraging immigrants to report abuses against them.

Border Patrol Auxiliary leader Chase identifies his missions as ensuring national security. He says his organization's priorities are to prevent terrorists, drug smugglers and felons from coming into the country.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has expressed strong opposition to the groups.

Similarly, 11 state senators in Texas have come out against civilian border patrols.

In spite of criticism from a number of groups in his state, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declined to back away from his public praise of the efforts of the original Arizona Minuteman Project.

(Alex Meneses Miyashita is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service based in Washington, D.C. He may be contacted by e-mail at alex@hispaniclink.org)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
06/26/05
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