San Diego Union Tribune: Farce at the border

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UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL

Farce at the border

Civilian patrols distract from real issues border city

September 23, 2005

One in an occasional series on immigration issues

We've said from the start that civilian border patrols are the wrong way to go and that border enforcement is serious business that should be left to the professionals. Still, even when we uttered those words, we had no idea just how darned unprofessional these civilian patrols could be.

We now have a clearer idea, thanks to the comical exploits of a group called Friends of the Border Patrol. Led by Andy Ramirez of Chino, the group is the latest bunch to jump on the vigilante bandwagon, which got rolling a few months ago when the "Minutemen" first grabbed their lawn chairs and sunscreen and headed for the Arizona desert. Of course, the Minuteman project didn't put an end to illegal immigration. But it did succeed in one regard: It turned some of its organizers into overnight media stars.

Here in the San Diego area, Ramirez tried to get his share of the limelight by organizing what he hoped would be a massive group of volunteers to join him in patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. The plan fizzled when only about two dozen people showed up for a recent training session. Compare that to the 300 protesters who turned out in Calexico to voice opposition to the idea of civilian border watchers.

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The pathetic turnout of volunteers and strong level of resistance has taken a toll on Ramirez, who is now talking about assuming a lower profile and taking his operation underground. He also claims that he is afraid for his life and that there is a bounty on his head, put there by drug lords and smugglers who consider him a threat – no doubt because his effort has been, ahem, so successful up to now. Even those who support the Minutemen can't be happy with this version of the amateur hour.

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Playtime is over, kiddies. If you're not going to do anything to help advance this debate, then the least you can do is stay out of the way. Stop shouting and waving your fists. Put away the lawn chairs, and the bullhorns. The grown-ups have work to do.


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