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Originally published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA) March 23, 2005 Copyright 2005

By SARA A. CARTER, STAFF WRITER

On a 23-mile stretch where the Sonoran desert rolls into the border of the United States some Inland Valley residents will take part in one the largest neighborhood watch programs in history.

The Minuteman Project, lead by Jim Gilchrist is expected to draw more than 2,000 volunteers and supporters from 50 states. The group will patrol an area known as the Tucson sector, between the United States and Mexico, in an attempt to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the country.

Securing the nations borders is a contentious issue that has divided the country in the past year but the Sept. 11 attacks brought the issue to the forefront making it a top priority for most Americans, said Robin Hvidston, of Upland, who plans on patrolling the border with her friends for the first 10 days of the month-long project.

This is not about racism it's about security, Hvidston said.

"This is a message to the administration that the American people overwhelmingly want our borders secure," Hvidston said. "The administration is willfully under staffing our border patrol agency. Literally anyone from around the globe can come in and take residence as they see fit including human smugglers, drug runners, and terrorists."

The 370-mile long stretch of the Mexico Arizona border is considered the least protected border in the nation with too few Border Patrol agents to secure it. And as recent as late February, James Loy, deputy secretary of Homeland Security, announced that al Qaeda terrorist would likely use the Mexican border to enter the country based on US intelligence reports.

Open borders have fueled the April 1 project where volunteers ranging in age from 21 to 75, hope to shed light on the issue, they say. The crowd will meet in Tombstone prepared with cell phones to contact border patrol agents when illegal immigrants are spotted and water to help immigrants who may be stranded in the desert. Their presence is an effort to deture illegal immigrants from trying to cross the border, said David Heppler, who heads security for the Minuteman group.

But some human rights organizations aren't so sure.

The National Alliance of Human Right's plans to station protests on both sides of the border, said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the group and a UC Riverside professor.

Some of the volunteers joining Gilchrist's project are nothing more than a militia organizers, Navarro said. The "Bi-national Mobilization Action Strategy," organized by Navarro and other Latino activists, is considered a Mexican Latino response to the Minuteman project.

However, Navarro worries that the April patrols could escalate to violence forcing strained relations between the two very different groups to completely sever.

"My greatest fear is that essentially violence at the border...could unleash a furry of further conflict and further alienation between the races in the country," Navarro said. "This could be a powder keg situation."

Navarro worries that some Minuteman volunteers will take the law into their own hands endagering the lives of innocent civilians when the issue should be resolved in Washington.

Organizers of the patrol say the Bush Administration has done little to quell the millions of illegal immigrants who cross the neglected borders every year and that their presence is necessary.

"We are preparing for up to 2,000 volunteers and family," Heppler said. "We're working really closely with local and federal law enforcement and don't expect to see any violence."

Meanwhile, the United States Custom and Border Protection is expected to send more than 200 extra Border Patrol agents to the area, said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

"We certainly appreciate the support of the volunteers," Bonner said. "We certainly sympathize with the frustration of the American people... But we have concerns that these people are exposing themselves to unnecceary dangers down there."

Many border patrol agents are confronted daily by drug smugglers, runners and a variety of other dangers, Bonner said. The volunteers may end up confronting the same dangerous situations, he added.

"I think they would be more effective to go down to Washington D.C.," Bonner said. " People should let their elected officials know how frustrated they are. If the US capital was on the border of Mexico and Arizona you better believe their would be more security."

Minuteman organizers say they have taken every precaution to ensure the integrity of the group and the safety of civilians, Heppler said.

Persons found to be carrying a weapon will be escorted from the group and reported to authorities, Heppler said.

Heppler did not discuss what security precautions have been taken but did state that participants will be asked to stay in groups while on or off patrol.

Cathy Cushman, of Upland, who plans on working the first 4 days of the patrol said, that although she is worried about the her personal safety it is the safety of the country which is at issue.

"The message is, if you have enough man power at the border you can stop illegals from coming across," Cushman said. "September 11th happened and the first thing you think of is strengthening the border. How can the administration be worried about national security if the borders are wide open?"