[Marxism] Homeland Security floats Minuteman-like auxililiary proposal

["acpollack2@xxxxxxxx" <acpollack2@xxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday they floated the idea, Thursday it was dropped. Not much detail on 
what kind of opposition was expressed to the idea but I'm surprised there 
haven't been calls for the head of the racist (Robert Bonner) who proposed it
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/21/AR2005072101589_pf.html

washingtonpost.com
Gov't Backs Off Idea of Civilian Patrol

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 21, 2005; 4:52 PM



LOS ANGELES -- The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it 
has no plans to enlist citizen volunteers to help patrol U.S. borders, one day 
after the agency's top border enforcement official said he was exploring such 
an idea.

On Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner told 
The Associated Press that his agency was considering the training of volunteers 
to create "something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary."

A Homeland Security spokesman issued a statement Thursday backing off Bonner's 
controversial suggestion.

"There are currently no plans by the Department of Homeland Security to use 
civilian volunteers to patrol the border," spokesman Brian J. Roehrkasse said. 
"That job should continue to be done by the highly trained, professional law 
enforcement officials."

Roehrkasse added that Bonner, whose agency is part of Homeland Security, had 
not told department officials "any specific details of the idea."

Bonner's comments followed the Minuteman Project, in which hundreds of 
volunteers _ some of them armed _ converged on a 23-mile stretch of the 
Arizona-Mexico border in search of illegal immigrants. The project drew 
international attention.

Before the project began, Bonner had urged citizens not to interfere with his 
agents' work, saying "ordinary Americans" weren't qualified for what can be a 
dangerous task.

But Bonner said Wednesday that his agency focused on citizen involvement after 
noting how eager Minuteman volunteers were to stop illegal immigration.

"It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local 
border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be 
willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Bonner said in an AP interview 
Wednesday. "But with some training and being organized in a way that would be 
something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary."

Bonner noted that the idea was conceptual and that details such as whether 
citizens would be deputized to enforce federal immigration law hadn't been 
worked out. A spokeswoman said that a range of proposals were being considered, 
including having volunteers do clerical work so more agents could work in the 
field.

A message left with a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman was not 
immediately returned.

Immediate reaction to Bonner's idea was generally skeptical.

A representative with the Border Patrol agents' union called it irresponsible, 
immigrant friendly groups panned it and one organizer of the Minuteman Project 
said it was well-intentioned but not likely to become reality.

Homeland Security also said there already are programs for civilian volunteers 
such as Citizen Corps, which helps coordinate preparedness activities 
nationwide.

© 2005 The Associated Press

 washingtonpost.com
Border Chief Reaches Out to Volunteers

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 20, 2005; 10:56 PM



LOS ANGELES -- The top U.S. border enforcement official said Wednesday that his 
agency is exploring ways to involve citizen volunteers in creating "something 
akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary" _ a significant shift after a high-profile 
civilian campaign this spring along the Arizona-Mexico border.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner told The Associated 
Press that his agency began looking into citizen involvement after noting how 
eager volunteers were to stop illegal immigration.

"We value having eyes and ears of citizens, and I think that would be one of 
the things we are looking at is how you better organize, let's say, a citizen 
effort," Bonner said.

He said that could involve training of volunteers organized "in a way that 
would be something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary."

Bonner characterized the idea of an auxiliary as "an area we're looking at," 
and a spokeswoman said it hadn't been discussed yet with top Homeland Security 
officials.

"This is what we need to study," said Bonner, who was in Los Angeles to discuss 
port security. He said questions such as what kind of authority volunteers 
might be given _ for example, would they be deputized to make arrests _ would 
have to be answered.

Until now, Border Patrol officials have generally criticized civilian efforts 
to police the nation's borders, saying that was the job of trained law 
enforcement officers. President Bush has also expressed opposition to border 
"vigilantes."

But in April, hundreds of volunteers converged on a 23-mile stretch of the 
Arizona-Mexico border, and the Minuteman Project generated international 
attention.

The following month, Bonner told Congress that if the government were to 
"better and more effectively harness the citizen volunteers," it would need to 
provide "some insights, possibly even training."

A labor leader who represents Border Patrol agents questioned the idea of 
volunteer involvement after hearing about Bonner's suggestion Wednesday.

"If he's sanctioning something akin to the Minuteman Project, it would be 
irresponsible to place ordinary citizens in harm's way," said T.J. Bonner, 
president of the National Border Patrol Council and no relation to Robert 
Bonner.

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist said he liked the idea but doubted it 
would happen.

Migrants' advocate Enrique Morones of Border Angels, a San Diego group that 
gives water to immigrants who cross the California-Mexico border, called it "a 
recipe for disaster."

"You'll have all of these unqualified yahoos being given license to promote 
hate," he said.

Bonner said the agency would examine how other auxiliaries operate to come up 
with a possible model. The Coast Guard Auxiliary, for example, has 30,000 
members trained to help with such non-law enforcement programs as public 
education, vessel safety checks and safety patrols.

Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Kristi Clemens said Homeland Security 
officials would be briefed on the idea once the agency came up with a proposal.

"All proposals are being considered, including clerical work by volunteers that 
would free up more agents to secure our borders," she said.

© 2005 The Associated Press

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