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Local San Diego Groups to Monitor Civilian 'border patrol'
SAN DIEGO â Four local legal groups announced plans Thursday to monitor the activities of civilian anti-illegal immigration groups expected to arrive in California, possibly in mid-July, for a symbolic patrolling of the U.S.-Mexico border. The four groups plan to train legal observers to keep an eye on the border vigilantes â some of whom may be armed â as they come in contact with illegal immigrants.The patrols are an outgrowth of the frustration felt by many Americans over what they see as unchecked waves of illegal immigration and a lack of political will in Washington to stop it. The monitors will be on hand to observe, record and report the doings of the vigilantes, and to report any abuses such as assaults or unlawful arrests, said Lilia Velasquez, a lawyer with the Association of Immigration Law Attorneys. Other groups supporting the monitors include the National Lawyers Guild of San Diego, the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. "When people take the law into their own hands, it jeopardizes our system of justice, it undermines the rule of law, and it also encourages other citizens to take the law into their own hands," Velasquez said... "It can also create anti-immigrant hysteria, racism, racial profiling and hate crimes." The monitors will be equipped with binoculars and video cameras, and also will be trained in both legal observation and what Velasquez described as "A policy of non-engagement and non-confrontation." Volunteers with the Minuteman Project monitored illegal immigrant activity along a stretch of Arizona's border in April. Organizers called the program a success and said they planned to expand it to other states and parts of Canada. The volunteers, some of whom were armed, did not detain border crossers they encountered but called the Border Patrol when they spotted suspected illegal immigrants. Organizers claimed those calls resulted in 335 arrests during the monthlong effort in Arizona. Critics of the project, including Border Patrol officials, said the group was little more than a nuisance. President Bush referred to the group as "vigilantes" but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered his support for the Minuteman Project, saying the volunteers had done "a terrific job." Posted by: Pappy 2005-07-01 |
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