Would you like being dragged by your hair and beaten?

Citizens on the borders Sat,29,2006
by Joe Castro
News editor
Illegal immigration is one of the hottest issues burning in Americans’ minds. One debate I have been hearing a lot about is the vigilante movement to protect the U.S. border along Mexico.

One group among many on the border is called the Minutemen. This group of citizens gathered in Arizona last month to patrol the border and send illegal immigrants home. This might be a great way to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States.
The Border Patrol spends millions each year, using high-tech equipment and thousands of personnel to capture people. Border Patrol agents must be highly trained and fluent in Spanish before they patrol, and still thousands of people cross over.

Students probably have not heard about the incidents of abuse by groups of citizens like the Minutemen. According to the Border Action Network, there have been thousands of incidents reported about people being dragged by their hair, beaten by night sticks and even shot at during their crossings.

The Minutemen are nothing new; there are several groups that have been actively patrolling the border and committing abuses against illegal immigrants as well as Mexican American citizens. These groups have also been advocated by many neo-Nazi and hate groups.

I’ll break for a minute to say I don’t think every citizen that volunteers to patrol the border is a racist. That is like saying that every immigrant that comes to the U.S. is here to commit a violent act, traffic drugs or take advantage of our freedoms. That is not the case, but it should be questioned whether it’s a good idea that citizens armed with guns and clubs should be left to patrol border areas with the assumption that nothing bad will happen. We should also ask how these groups are handling illegals and, when captured, are these groups accountable for human rights violations?

I think these groups are not accountable for abuses and need to be stopped or heavily regulated. I am not saying to do nothing about the illegal immigration problem. Instead of building walls or pouring money into the ineffective Border Patrol, we should look at improving identification programs and opportunities for workers to have some legal status, which is being done, but has flaws.

For those who complain that illegal immigrants are abusing health care programs and Social Security, remember that these people do pay taxes. In fact, according to an article in the New York Times, illegal immigrants paid roughly $7 billion to Social Security last year and $1.5 billion to Medicare.

Hand it to the Americans to want to do what the government is failing to do, but nothing good can come from allowing angry people to wander the desert hunting for Mexicans.

Lucky

Oh please.....I live here on the Arizona Border. You don't have a clue to what Mexico and its drug dealers, coyotes and thousand of illegals do to the US and its citizens every single day, day after day. You need a change of diapers real bad.

*~BabiGurl~*

sorry thats to long to read but my answer is *~No~*
take care *~Muah~*

angela R

What????

You mean the minutemen are vigilantes? I thought they were a benevolent group just patrolling the borders???

They do have agenda's.....They do incite race wars....Great article...

And you make a great point....Who's to say these minutemen aren't abusing illegals??? They have no voice in this society, and no way to defend themselves....They have no rights, I don't doubt it for one second that abuses take place!

FoxAmericaLover!

Dear, this is why you need an education. Get that GED please hurry! The Minutemen have not done anything like this. If they had, it would be on every news outlet out there. Secondly, more illegal immigrants are killed annually and left to die a horrible death by the coyotes who smuggle them. They are far from humane to your precious illegals. That is a FACT!...

wannabefrogman6

i would not like that... which is why i have done nothing ILLEGAL to deserve it... believe it or not... there IS a reason we call them illegal immingrants... i would MUCH rather have them beaten than put in out prison system so we can throw even more tax dollars at them... thank god for minutemen...America's unsung heros

ZiZi

They have to do what they have to do to protect America from damn mexicans coming into America and taking jobs Americans dont want cause its too hard and doesnt pay enough then try to mix in with our society by trying to get an education and a better life

DAMN MEXICANS...DAMN YOU

shy_angeleyes01

Why do you only PRINT one side of the story???? What about all the Shootings along the Border by DRUG dealers? What about the incident where armed drug dealers from Mexico entered the US and took back a truck filled with drugs that the local and state police had stopped. Why you ask did the cops not attempt to stop this. There answer they were OUT GUNNED. Yet we send our troops to the border Un armed. As far as higher rates of violence along the border. I do not doubt it for 1 second PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS INVASION. I believe U asked what will happen should amnesty be granted. Well take that book of a question you just asked and multiply that by THOUSANDS. and theres answer to TWO of your questions all at once.

nana_berylv

what can citcens due to stop this

claddaghmamma

I really like the part about how they pay taxes....!
That may be true in some cases, but I would bet that MOST don't. They get paid cash...very little cash for very hard work. They then spend this cash. So, they may pay some sales tax, but they do NOT pay income tax. AND they use a larger portion of our tax-paid-for healthcare because the don't have insurance.

~^~^~^~^

One more time, the anti's hate your article and the pro side believe you. Did you think your article was going to change minds here? FYI: I don't believe we need Minute men and yes, as humans they could be racist predators in the bunch, why not?

Hold em Rox.

This story is so FAKE!!!!! Geez we all know that this is a lie only the truly gullible will buy it.........gotta give you credit for trying though!

Cutie Pie

No way i would hate that y did it happen too u ?????

Love Kierra.

tm_tech32

I have a crew cut so it would be a neat trick.

Garth B

Of course I would not like to get beaten but hey the people who cross the border illegally should get more than a beating. They should fear for their lives. Then maybe they will stop breaking the law. My plan for secure borders is quite simple. Have the govt buy all the land along the border with a depth of 3 miles. Build a fence along this and issue hunting licenses that allow for the killing of anyone in this 3 mile area. The licenses pay for the fence and the fear of being killed will stop people from trying to cross. Problem solved.

thelogicalferret

is this all you do all day? is find every little papers article in the back about immigration? do you know what goes on in the rest of the world? do you know what is happening with Israel and Lebanon? Iraq? Afghanistan? Iran? Somalia?

Calamity

That is so ignorant.

the D O C

no i don`t think thay should beat up people .
maybe the government should allow Mexicans to into the country to work but charge them a tax that goes to the state they are working in to lessen the taxes on the people who live in the state year round. People in the US may feel less like their being cheated out of the low paying jobs (that most wouldn't work anyway) that mexicans typical take.

Dellow

We should leave the border open to any one that want to enter without any kind of control. Show me a country that successfully adopted this policy!

wheniawoke

what credentials does this guy have, he is photographer right, and you need to look at the opposite effect they have on our taxes. it is more than they put in. stop sympathizing, grow up or get out. why don't you go be an illegal alien in mexico. let's see how you get treated there. i can promise you, it will not be as accomidating as being one here.

Mendi8a

That is sick! People need to mind their own business and not try to take the laws into their own hands! Where is the humanity!?

va8326

.these people are entering our country illegally..i am not condoning the behavior you describe..the violence..but they have to expect some bad reactions because this is our country not theirs and some people will retaliate to try to protect what is theirs..i myself feel that our our country is over-populated and we do not need any more aliens...legal or illegal..if we cannot take care of our own then we don't need more needy people to try to take of...an opinion is like an *** ...everybody has one ...and that is my opinion.whether you like it or not ...thank you

hexa

That is a lie about the minute men if that was true the liberal media would love that it would be all over the news, and that hasn't happened, the minute men look out for illegals and then call border patrol. so stop spreading lies. What has been on the new is some of the minute men have saved the lives of quite a few Mexicans coming through the desert, they were dieing of thirst. They also look out for Mexicans in trouble some do not bring enough water when crossing the desert. Joe Castro in printing lies where are the pictures and why isn't it on the news. The liberal media would run with this piece of gossip.

idontkno

OK i heard about it but what about the illegal drug trafficker who come across our border and harass our citizens so i don't give a dam it was not the minute man who did that their doing a great service for this country

S.P.

i didnt read any of that. too long. but i've noticed that this GL girl only asks immigration questions. think of other questions

jmklk

you should watch the 30 days special on the minutemen, i married a hispanic and my opinion is they all should have to do it the legal way, we have 3 kids and the government doesnt care he still has to go back to mexico, leave his familiy, so I think all illegals should have to do it the right way no matter what, they all have the chance but are to lazy to do it! That is the honest truth!!

yars232c

Besides the fact that's a lie about Miniute men, that will not stop other citizens from protecting themselves from criminals any way they can.

It is NOT ok to kill Americans! What do you expect??

the reason why it's not the minutemen is because everywhere they patrol civil rights groups follow them like flies on **** to make sure they break no laws with cameras and camcorders!!

DAR

Could you please give us the link that came from? Because it sounds like good old 'yellow journalism' to me.

Ferret

The question is too long to bother reading. You would be better off using a forum, not Answers

jimbobb1

I dont have enough hair to be dragged by it. I do not think people should be beaten for wanting to improve their life. I think our president has caused an increase in border crossings by mentioning that he may make some illegals citizens. I do not think that this is a good idea at all.
Of course the fact that we just deported an illegal that was working as a border patrol agent (way to go Homeland security, quit picking up tennage girl and do something!!!) shows how ineffective we are at border security. This guy smuggled hundreds in himself (some in the border patrol vehicles) while working for them using a fake birth certificate.

mimilundgren

WHAT A CROCK!

WHAT A COMPILATION OF LIES!

SHAME ON YOU....

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