Civilian Patrols Along the Border: Legal and Policy Issues
Abstract
Civilian patrols along the international border have existed in a wide variety of forms for at least 150 years. Over the past 15 years, civilian border patrol groups appear to have proliferated along the U.S.-Mexico border, partly due to the increasing numbers of aliens entering the country illegally. In the spring of 2005, attention focused on these civilian patrols, when the "Minuteman Project" mobilized hundreds of volunteers along the Arizona-Mexico border to observe and report the movement of illegal aliens to the U.S. Border Patrol. Although some participants were armed, Minutemen volunteers were instructed not to engage in hostile confrontations with any illegal alien. Organizers of the Minuteman Project have expanded the Project to the other southwestern border states and Canada and have split the mission into a border defense corps and an internal vigilance operation that monitors businesses and government. A new nationwide Minuteman Project began in April 2006. The activities of the Minutemen sparked a national debate on the legality and effectiveness of such civilian action along the border. This report provides a history of civilian border patrol groups, with a focus on those groups operating along the southwest border, including most particularly, the "Minuteman Project." It also addresses some of the legal and policy issues (as mentioned above) that have surfaced from civilian activities at the border. The report concludes with summaries of legislative proposals that have been introduced in the 109th Congress that address the issue of civilian border patrol groups. This report will be updated as warranted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA450528
Entities
People
- Blas Nunez-neto
- Stephen R. Vina
Organizations
- Library of Congress