Minutemen use cell phones and cameras to monitor border with Mexico

Tom Tancredo:

They are coming to help the Border Patrol spot illegal immigrants entering our country. TIME magazine says more than 3 million illegal immigrants slipped past the undermanned Border Patrol last year.

Unlike the president, most Americans do not see this disaster as "rational enforcement" of our laws. Most citizens see it as an outrageous breach of national security. Millions are perplexed and angered by the president's willful blindness to the dangers posed by open borders.

Minutemen from 40 states are gathering in Tombstone for a rally to kick off their monthlong vigil. From all the criticism they're getting, you'd think they were bringing hand grenades, not cell phones.

In April 2004, 64,563 illegal immigrants were caught in the Tucson sector. This year, Minutemen will observe activities along a 20-mile stretch of border near the San Pedro River, a virtual superhighway for smuggling. Teams will watch for people crossing the border and report what they see to the Border Patrol. That's all.

The volunteers will not try to halt illegal immigrants; they will merely report what they see. If the Border Patrol does not apprehend the suspects, the Minutemen will not try to stop them.

Here is why the Minuteman volunteers are so concerned about illegal immigrants coming across the Mexican border:

More than 76,000 captured intruders in 2004 came from countries other than Mexico.

Al-Qaeda has considered using Mexico to infiltrate terrorists into the United States, says congressional testimony this February by the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

In March, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified that hundreds of "special interest immigrants" from countries with terrorist cells already have entered the United States through Mexico.

Authorities believe al-Qaeda has tried to enlist help from the Salvadoran-based MS-13 criminal syndicate to smuggle terrorists into the United States.

Among those apprehended on our borders last year, 23,000 were known criminals. About 10 percent of our nation's jail and prison population now are illegal immigrants.

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