Undocumented - illegal immigration in NYC

Drawing the Line

As the public debate on illegal immigration and national security heats up, some Americans are confronting the issue by policing the border on their own.

Michele Schwartz

When Mike, a senior librarian at a New York City Public Library, decided to take some time off last October, he didn’t have typical tourist plans. Instead, he flew to Texas to participate in a weeklong civilian border patrol set up to spot illegal immigrants crossing over from Mexico. He encountered a group of illegal immigrants on the third night of his watch. “That kind of gets your blood going,” Mike said.

The 28-year-old from Staten Island, N.Y., is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC), a national organization formed last April with the goal to end illegal immigration and pressure the U.S. government to increase border security. In a highly publicized move, volunteer groups have organized posts along the U.S.-Mexico border to scout for illegal immigrants sneaking into the United States and report them to the U.S. Border Patrol. Figures for national members fluctuate between 4,000-4,500

On the night of Mike’s encounter, a member of his patrol spotted the group around midnight and alerted the others. The immigrants, about 17, scattered and regrouped in a field a couple of feet away from Mike. “Oh my God, there’s these 17 people and you don’t know what they are going to do, who they are. You’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Mike recalls.

The group’s leader looked at Mike briefly and then motioned to the group to keep going. They disappeared into the night. With his anxiety level up, Mike radioed in their new position, but doesn’t know if the Border Patrol ever intercepted the group.

MCDC was founded by Chris Simcox, a former schoolteacher residing in Arizona and Jim Gilchrist, a retired accountant from California. Since then, dozens of state chapters have sprung up, including one in New York, which shares a border with Canada.

The formation of MCDC, and other groups like it, coincides with the rising debate between both politicians and citizens on how to confront illegal immigration in the United States. A November survey released by the Rasmussen Report, an independent poll, stated 75% of Americans say illegal immigration is a somewhat or very important issue they will consider when voting and 60% favor building a barrier on the Mexican border.

Such sentiments reflect growing concerns over U.S. border security and the number of illegal immigrants entering the country each year. U.S. immigration numbers were at a record high of 35.2 million people (both legal and illegal) last year, according to a December report issued by the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit that advocates for lower immigration.

The report, using Census Bureau information, states more than 7.9 million immigrants arrived in the United States between January 2000 and March 2005—the highest five-year-period of immigration in U.S. history. Out of that number, the report estimates 3.7 million are illegal immigrants. In total it is estimated there are around 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.

Statistics like these alarm Peter Lanteri, a former marine who runs his own electrician business in Long Island. He formed the N.Y. chapter of the Minutemen in September. “I’ve always followed the border situation,” says Lanteri, a slim 35-year-old with cropped hair. “It’s amazing that anybody can walk into the country.”

Eighty people attended Lanteri’s first N.Y. MCDC, including Chris Simcox, and Minuteman members from other states. There were also several members from the United Patriots of America (UPA), a separate anti-illegal immigration group.

That first meeting netted about a dozen members for the new chapter. Today, the chapter has around 50 members, with about half of those residing in the N.Y. metropolitan area and the remainder in nearby states.

“The main thing we’re concerned about is border security—the northeastern border is about 4,000 miles long,” says Lanteri. “It’s not just about immigration. That’s every chapter’s focus. It’s about getting the government focused on border security rather than illegal immigration.”

Volunteers organized patrols along the Canadian border in October—two in Vermont and one in New York—with members traveling from as far as Pennsylvania to participate.

The northern patrols didn’t yield any sightings of illegal immigrants, but they did encounter protesters in Vermont who showed up to criticize the Minuteman presence. Still, Lanteri maintains the border forays were important in that they called “media attention to northern border” and he hopes to plan more.

Lawmakers have introduced a flurry of immigration reform legislation this past year, much of it reflecting the divisiveness of the issue. The most contentious bill, H.R. 4437, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December. One highlight of the bill, introduced by Republican Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, would require all U.S. employers to verify Social Security numbers of every employee in order to curb the hiring of illegal workers. It would also make remaining in the country after entering illegally, a felony. Currently, only entering is a criminal offense, while residing in the United States is just a civil violation.

Some say it is too harsh, while others want even stricter reforms. Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, an outspoken opponent to illegal immigration, wants to end automatic citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil of illegal immigrants, a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Others would like to see a provision calling for a fence along the entire 2,000-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border.

What is noticeably missing from H.R. 4437 is a guest-worker program, an initiative President Bush has urged lawmakers to consider since 2004. Under a plan to tighten border security, President Bush has touted the idea to allow illegal immigrants to apply for legal work in the United States for up to three years, if there are no Americans available for the job. Opponents say that would reward those who have already broken the law and encourage more illegal immigration.

In the meantime, MCDC will keep up its watch.

Minutemen follow a strict protocol outlined in a manual on how to conduct patrols. Members are assigned stations and report any sightings to a supervisor who then alerts the U.S. Border Patrol. They are there to simply observe and report—they are not allowed to talk to, gesture at, or touch any illegal immigrants, even for humanitarian reasons, says Lanteri. Members may carry registered handguns with permits for self-defense only. Those who take out guns for any other reason face expulsion.

While he has great admiration for Border Patrol agents, Lanteri believes more government funds must be funneled their way. “I don’t know how they do it, they’re pretty brave,” says Lanteri.

The U.S. Border Patrol does not officially endorse MCDC. “Border security is a shared national concern and we appreciate the eyes and ears of all citizens and any kind of assistance they can offer, whether as an associated group or an average citizen,” says U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Todd Fraser. “We have a limited amount of resources, so anytime citizens have information for us, we would love to know that.”

Although he acknowledges groups like MCDC have helped put the spotlight on border concerns, Fraser cautions the job is for professionally trained law enforcement officers. “The Border Patrol has been out there since 1924 and our officers go through a rigorous academy and specialized training,” says Fraser. “While we appreciate the Minuteman’s assistance, our job isn’t to support or express disapproval of them. Our success is because of us, and not what they’ve done out there in a month.” In 2004, Border Patrol agents apprehended about 1.15 million illegal immigrants trying to enter the country

Still, Lanteri says their patrols are effective, citing 2,000 call-ins for Texas, 1,000 for Arizona, and 100-200 for New Mexico. Lanteri did not know how many apprehensions were made as a result. Fraser could not confirm the figures because the Border Patrol does not keep statistics on where calls originate.

Critics counter that the Minutemen are racists who promote violence against minorities. Protesters have turned out at Minuteman events, demonstrating against them as a hate-group. President Bush referred to them as “vigilantes” in March. Immigration and civil rights groups are closely scrutinizing MCDC activities. Even if Minutemen have not committed acts of violence against immigrants, many groups fear their rhetoric and high-profile presence will incite others to do so.

The American Civil Liberties Union has trained volunteer observers to follow, photograph, and videotape Minutemen, and gather evidence for possible civil rights lawsuits, according to their website.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit monitoring hate-groups and U.S. extremist activities, is also keeping a watchful eye over MCDC. In December, SPLC ran an article on its website about founder Simcox, claiming he has a history of erratic, paranoid, and threatening behavior. It included a quote by Simcox given during a 2003 speech to the California Coalition on Immigration Reform where “Of illegal immigrants, Simcox added: ‘ They're trashing their neighborhoods, refusing to assimilate, standing on street corners, jeering at little girls walking on their way to school.’” SPLC has also reported that MCDC activities have attracted neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.

Simply not true, says Lanteri who bristles at the accusations and denies the group is racist. “They’re doing what they can to discredit us and make us out to be lowlifes,” says Lanteri. “We have a purpose and a lot of national citizens’ support.”

All members pay $50 for a background check run by an outside company. They can’t join if they are a convicted felon or hate-group member. The MCDC website also disavows racism of any kind and hate-groups. While Lanteri admits that the majority of members are white males, he insists the organization welcomes all people. “We have all kinds of Minuteman members; blacks, Chinese, Hispanic members. We’re not gun-toting, tobacco-chewing, cowboy-hat wearing people like we’re portrayed,” says Lanteri.

Public perception is confused by other border groups with racist agendas who have incorporated “minuteman” into their name, says Lanteri. A true Minuteman group must have the Civil Defense Corps in it to be officially recognized as one of their own, according to Lanteri.

“Look at our track record, not one person has been arrested,” he says. Border Patrol spokesman Fraser says that to his knowledge, there have been no official problems with the group.

"America doesn’t have to be white people, we’re not saying that,” says Lanteri. “But by not learning the language, people aren’t helping society as a whole. It’s not racist to want to have English as the official language of our country.

Lanteri called a second chapter meeting in November as an update and to recruit members. About 15 people attended, some already members, including Mike, who briefly spoke about his trip, and Lanteri’s wife, Geraldine, a petite, stylishly dressed woman who works for a mortgage company. Also in attendance was Anthony, a UPA member who came to speak as well.

The group vented frustrations on job losses to illegals. Anthony, wearing a t-shirt with a Confederate flag and the slogan, Ban Illegal Immigration Not Southern Heritage, became strident in his tone. “Close the borders and keep the scumbags out,” he interjected at one point. Lanteri interrupted him. “It’s about border security,” said Lanteri in a calm voice.

Lanteri added this isn’t about keeping out Hispanics only, but illegal aliens of any ethnic group. “Look, I’m Italian-American, and I don’t care if I see 10 Italian illegals trying to cross the border, I’m going to call them in,” says Lanteri.

Talk turned to going after contractors who hire illegals. Another program, the Minuteman Project, monitors businesses and the government for illegal immigration violations concerning employment and taxes. Plans include watching day-labor sites where volunteers videotape employers picking up workers and gather company information, names, and license plate numbers to be turned over to IRS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mike is enthusiastic about the new project. He would like to go back for another patrol, but for now he will use whatever time he can spare to do local work. He says his experience with the Minutemen has given him a sense of accomplishment and yielded more than anything else he’s ever done.

People who don’t understand what MCDC is about are just misinformed, according to Mike. “They hear it’s some evil racist group and that’s how far they’ll go for researching or finding out more about it,” he says. “They hear a little bit of propaganda and they won’t look deeper than that. You can’t convince someone unless they want to find out more.” Mike says there was no racist talk while he was down in Texas and there were people of all backgrounds. “We just don’t believe in an open border.”