Ask Me Help Desk - Environmentalists for immigration control?

Border Vigilantes

I am aware that there are law-abiding groups operating along the USA Mexican border. However, the ones involved are well-known racist hate groups in the USA which consider it their duty to stop the influx of refugees by any means possible. Also, that the incidents aren't reported prominently by the USA news media doesn't make the incidents either improbable or nonexistent. That there is definitely a problem is shown by the recent Discovery Channel documentary which focused precisely on this growing racist vigilante problem.

ARIZONA: Four vigilante border attacks in less than a month

Another Arizona legislator receives death threats from racist border vigilantes

Border vigilante
suspected in the killing of three undocumented immigrants\

It was during the discovery documentary that the rape incidents came to my attention.
The website below elaborates on the issue.

Sexual assaults rising at border | www.azstarnet.com Â®

Militarization and Fence

If indeed the Mexican government militarizes its side of the border and in that manner obstructs its own safety pressure valve [immigration to te USA] it would probably
Provoke an armed revolution. In short, it would be solving one problem while
Increasing another. Because of this I doubt that militarization on the Mexican side will happen. In my opinion

For the 3 links to assault you cite articles from an Aztlan publication. Are you familiar with them and their goals ? Just look at their web site ; La Voz de Aztlan ;it is a very agenda driven organization . It is possible these stories are true however in none of the cases are there collaboration by credible sources. Anyone can claim to have received "threats " as Rep. Konopnicki has . At worse what you are citing is fringe activity that should be treated as the lawless acts of criminals .

A closer reading of the last article shows that the rape attacks occurred South of the border by people smugglers.

The Zetas that I was referring to is a para-military group that is made up primarily of elite troops that have broken away from the Mexican military and are working primarily for drug runners . Given that and the infiltration of Hispanic gangs like Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) into the US via the border ,the case for beefing up the border becomes more compelling and more urgent.

Thanks for bringing the unnacceptability of the cited source to my attention. You are right, immigrants are victimized by criminals from both sides of the border. The reason I focus on our side of the border is because the other side is beyond our law enforcement jurisdiction and is primarily Mexico's responsibility. Below is an article referring to the activity some might view as merely fringe.

The Dallas News article comments on this disgraceful situation. Hope these sources are more acceptable.

Excerpt

Border rapes cause alarm

Recent attacks suggest pattern in crimes against immigrants

12:01 AM CDT on Monday, June 5, 2006By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News

SOURCE: Texas Department of Public Safety, Crime Reports
County Total number of reported rapes

2003

El Paso 323
Webb 61
Hidalgo 185
Texas 7,986

2004

El Paso 229
Webb 55
Hidalgo 196
Texas 8,401

But officials at headquarters in Washington estimated that the Border Patrol receives reports on about three to four rapes a day of illegal immigrants along the 2,000-mile border – or 1,040 to 1,460 a year.

"These are just the reported rapes along both sides of the border made to our agents during interviews with those apprehended," said Border Patrol spokeswoman Maria Valencia. "We don't know about those we don't apprehend. And for those we do, it's very unusual for an illegal immigrant to report a sexual assault."

BTW

I am not against beefing up the border as long as the beefing up isn't criminal itself.

Armed Vigilante Activities in Arizona
http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Extremism_72/4255_72.asp

Thanks for the additional source . Link to the article is here : Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) - Ending Sexual Violence in Texas

Still I was responding to your original observation that :

Quote:

... it doesn't help to permit unscrupulous vigilante groups to take part in border patrols. That's where rape happens and the message sent to those trying to get is across that they are considered less than human.

The article by McLemore clearly implicates

Quote:

Smugglers - who extort thousands of dollars from immigrants to ferry them across the border - are teaming with criminals to rape and rob the immigrants along the way.

;and not unscrupulous vigilante groups.

Now I have no doubt that there are some small minority of Americans who have indeed become unscrupulous vigilantes .They should be treated as the criminals they are if they are indeed breaking the law. The content of your paragraph made it appear that the incidents of lawlessness by independent Americans patrolling the border is wide spread when in fact it is rare .