The Minutemen

by Nick Coons
Mar 30, 2005

This coming Friday, April 1, was the launch of the 30-day run of the Minutemen, the group of volunteers heading south to the Mexican border to patrol for illegal immigrants. The farther south you go, the more people you will find that are affected by illegal immigrants. Especially in Cochise county, which shares its border with Mexico.

There seem to be two dominating views on this subject. The first is that of the volunteer organization. They are tired of people crossing the borders illegally and defending their land from them. They also feel that the federal government isn't doing enough to protect our borders.

The second is that of the border patrol. They feel that a self-appointed group of people taking border security upon themselves is a recipe for disaster. Other governmental and non-governmental organizations tend to share this view. The ACLU is sending people there to watch the Minutemen and the border patrol to make certain that civil rights aren't violated.

It's really hard to determine what will happen. The Minutemen have setup strict rules for themselves to follow. They're putting themselves in the position of assisting the border patrol, not replacing them. I'm not going to make a prediction on this one, but I would hope that it turns out well. Not just because I want to see everyone come out of this unharmed, but because I think this is a great opportunity to prove that a group of citizens can solve problems without government intervention.