Gov't Considers Using Border Patrol Volunteers
POSTED: 4:32 pm PDT July 20, 2005
UPDATED: 4:40 pm PDT July 20, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- The federal government is thinking of training volunteer border patrol groups such as the Minuteman Project and organizing them into a kind of Border Patrol auxiliary.
Robert Bonner, head of Customs and Border Protection, said the idea's in a very preliminary stage. He said auxiliaries are common among police and fire agencies, even the military, so why not for the Border Patrol?
Bonner said his agency "welcomes the eyes and ears" of citizens, as long as they help "in a responsible way."
Until now, Border Patrol officials have generally criticized such civilian efforts, saying it was the job of trained law enforcement officers.
The Minuteman Project has rallied hundreds of people to patrol the Mexican border in Arizona, giving rise to at least 40 unaffiliated groups nationally.
Poster Comment:
- Good news? Or, a ploy to control and subvert the volunteers?