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Border Patrol (the Mexican American Border)
For Vivian D V Since late 1994, the California part of the U.S.-Mexico border has been a testing ground for Operation Gatekeeper, a strategy aimed at blocking traditional border crossing routes. More than a billion dollars has been spent on Gatekeeper, but the new strategy has not prevented illegal entries. It has simply shifted them to the mountains and deserts east of San Diego. Meanwhile, migrant deaths have increased by 500%. Nevertheless, the U.S. Border Patrol extended Gatekeeper into Yuma, Arizona and has exported the new strategy to other parts of the Southwest border. Last year, there was at least one migrant death a day along the entire border. Chris Simcox is the cofounder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten teacher at the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, where he taught for thirteen years. [1] In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States' border with Mexico. He founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol by detaining thousands of illegal aliens. In January 2003, Simcox was fined and his handgun confiscated after being questioned by National Park Rangers in Coronado National Memorial Park about the pistol he was carrying. [2] Simcox's practice of reporting immigrants attempting to enter the country illegally has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. Simcox's opponents claim that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claims that these arrests are justified under a "citizen's arrest" policy.[citation needed] In December 2004, Simcox teamed up with James Gilchrist to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilantes, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone. Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary. On April 21, 2006, Simcox issued an ultimatum to President George W. Bush to either send National Guard troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property. Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honorariums and fees received speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a movie that will soon go into production.