A Dangerous Message from Border Control Vigilantes
by Lauren Ting
President Bush continues to ensure the public and Latin American leaders that he will find a practical solution to illegal immigration - a middle ground for dealing with undocumented workers, stopping short of granting amnesty, but also avoiding the controversy and disorder of haphazardly forcing millions back where they came from. The dangerous border crossing between Mexico and the United States has sparked much debate in the realm of human rights; the journey itself is taken out of desperation, which encourages exploitation and abuse when would-be immigrants are lured by false hopes, promises of jobs, or other incentives to cross. Additionally, the dehumanizing process of being rounded up and mistreated by militias and border patrols only emphasizes the indignity of a clandestine trek through difficult terrain. The issue of immigration is huge - tied politically to drug running, free trade, and exactly the kind of activities government money is supporting.
In recent years, as the debate over illegal immigration in the United States has heated up, there has been an unnerving increase in self-regulating militias patrolling the border between the United States and Mexico. In particular, the Minuteman Project (MMP) and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have emerged at the forefront as vigilante civil defense organizations intended to remind "Americans that our nation was founded as a nation governed by the 'rule of law,' not by the whims of mobs of ILLEGAL aliens who endlessly stream across U.S. borders." Messages such as this one, found on the MMP's website, have stimulated such backlash that the site also contains a disclaimer maintaining that the MMP is not associated with racist or white supremacist groups. Nonetheless, the message of these militias is divisive and dangerous, and their actions towards would-be migrants are sometimes questionable.
Last year, the Mexican government was contemplating the creation of maps indicating the locations of water and shelter on the trip between Mexico and the United States. Rather than to encourage the journey, these maps were designed in order to reduce the risk of death from dehydration and exhaustion, an unfortunate consequence of the treacherous crossing. The plan was prematurely halted due to concerns that militias on the border would instead use the maps to capture migrants en masse and stake out important resting points, making the journey even more dangerous.
Legal and illegal immigrants, as well as other objecting Americans have staged protests against the Minuteman Project and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The pervasive presence of such groups has spawned watchdog organizations trying to prevent violence. Tensions along the border are high and without anyone looking over their shoulders, members of these vigilante groups have occasionally been known to resort to violent measures.
The popularity and media attention the MMP has garnered often fails to recognize the xenophobic tendencies underlying their supposedly "patriotic" actions. It is disturbing that a group determined to undermine the human rights of illegal immigrants dares compare itself to the minutemen fighting for American independence during the colonial era. The MMP carefully crafts its image, trying to avoid the stereotype of racist rednecks with big guns, portraying itself instead as a neighborhood watch-type organization, simply trying to protect America from the threat of a cultural and economic invasion by Mexican immigrants.
The fostering of such anti-immigrant sentiment in Border States such as Texas and Arizona creates a tense and conflict-ridden situation, especially as the government seeks a political solution for immigrant populations. Right now, what will become of them is unclear, but this much is for sure: vigilante groups are only exacerbating the problem, triggering friction between groups on both sides of the issue, and making an already perilous journey even more risky.
