Do You Want To Be A BORDER PATROL Volunteer ???
Sounds like the Border Patrol may be changing its mind, and may soon welcome the help of volunteer groups like the Minutemen to be their "extra eyes and ears."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/national/21border.html?pagewanted=print&oref=login
July 21, 2005
Border Patrol Considering Use of Volunteers, Official Says
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES, July 20 (AP) - The nation's top border enforcement official said Wednesday that his agency was exploring ways to involve citizen volunteers in creating "something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary."
The statement marks a significant shift and comes after a high-profile civilian campaign this spring along the Arizona-Mexico border.
The official, Robert C. Bonner, commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection, said his agency had focused on involving citizens after noting the willingness of volunteers to help federal agents catch illegal immigrants.
"It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Mr. Bonner said.
"We value having eyes and ears of citizens, and I think that would be one of the things we are looking at is how you better organize, let's say, a citizen effort," he said.
Mr. Bonner characterized the idea as an area his agency was considering.
Questions regarding what kind of authority the volunteers would have and whether they could make arrests or carry guns have not been worked out, he said.
In April, hundreds of volunteers joined the Minuteman Project to patrol a 23-mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border, generating international attention and criticism and leading to similar campaigns.
Until now, Border Patrol officials have generally criticized civilian efforts to police the nation's borders, saying it was the job of trained law enforcement officers. President Bush has expressed his opposition to border "vigilantes."
"The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified and very well trained to handle the situation," Mr. Bonner said in February, noting that the Minutemen planned to carry firearms. "Ordinary Americans are not. So there's a danger that not just illegal migrants might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this situation."
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Sounds like the Border Patrol may be changing its mind, and may soon welcome the help of volunteer groups like the Minutemen to be their "extra eyes and ears."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/national/21border.html?pagewanted=print&oref=login
July 21, 2005
Border Patrol Considering Use of Volunteers, Official Says
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES, July 20 (AP) - The nation's top border enforcement official said Wednesday that his agency was exploring ways to involve citizen volunteers in creating "something akin to a Border Patrol auxiliary."
The statement marks a significant shift and comes after a high-profile civilian campaign this spring along the Arizona-Mexico border.
The official, Robert C. Bonner, commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection, said his agency had focused on involving citizens after noting the willingness of volunteers to help federal agents catch illegal immigrants.
"It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Mr. Bonner said.
"We value having eyes and ears of citizens, and I think that would be one of the things we are looking at is how you better organize, let's say, a citizen effort," he said.
Mr. Bonner characterized the idea as an area his agency was considering.
Questions regarding what kind of authority the volunteers would have and whether they could make arrests or carry guns have not been worked out, he said.
In April, hundreds of volunteers joined the Minuteman Project to patrol a 23-mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border, generating international attention and criticism and leading to similar campaigns.
Until now, Border Patrol officials have generally criticized civilian efforts to police the nation's borders, saying it was the job of trained law enforcement officers. President Bush has expressed his opposition to border "vigilantes."
"The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified and very well trained to handle the situation," Mr. Bonner said in February, noting that the Minutemen planned to carry firearms. "Ordinary Americans are not. So there's a danger that not just illegal migrants might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this situation."
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