Border Patrol "Civilian Auxiliary" Proposed
LAST UPDATE: 8/11/2005 12:17:34 PM
Posted By: Jim Forsyth

Several Texas Congressmen are quietly circulating a proposal to approve 'deputized civilians' as an auxiliary to the U.S. Border Patrol, 1200 WOAI news reported today.

The so called "Border Protection Corps" would consist of volunteers who go through a background check and receive training, and would then accompany Border Patrol officers as they search for illegal aliens and drug activity.

"These would be volunteers who go through training, don't have a criminal background, who don't use firearms, and who would serve in a backup capacity to the Border Patrol," said U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who is one of the backers of the proposal.

The chief sponsor, U.S. Rep John Culberson (R-Texas) compares the Border Protection Corps with the posses which brought in criminals in the days of the western frontier.

Smith says it would make sure that volunteer groups like the Minutemen who have begun border monitoring operations do so legally and receive some training.

"Basically, I think it's just born out of the frustration on the part of a lot of people that we're not doing all we can to secure our borders," Smith said.

The head of the U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security has made a similar suggestion, which was immediately rejected by DHS officials.

Smith and Culberson say civilians who are approved for the Border Protection Corps would be 'deputized' and would provide observation and support to uniformed Border Patrol officers. They would not be allowed to make arrests.
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Oh..."Hey, I see you...lemme call for help now even though they're 50 miles away right now....stay right there or I'll hit you with my radio"

HH

Sounds good, but I would not wanna be on the border unarmed.

Quoted: Sounds good, but I would not wanna be on the border unarmed.

Damn straight, thats the only real downside I see to it. I think if somon can show that they have firearms training they should be able to be armed. I know to many folks who have been shot at down on that southern border to ever want to be un armed if I go down for a visit. I sure wouldn't want to be out there even with a BP agent and be unarmed.

Quoted: I don't think that'll work. Even if it went through they'd be under the control of the Border Patrol, who is going to tell them to go home and stay away from the border. Why haven't Texas/AZ and other states where there are big hassles with the border started enforcing a state law against entering the country/state illegally? Make those people provisional Texas State Police Officers, make it a state felony to enter Texas illegally from Mexico and gather up a few hundred immigrants and stick 'em in prison for a few years. Maybe you couldn't afford to jail all of them permanently but sticking a lot in (bad term) pow type camps for 60 days or making them break rocks for a couple of months on a chain gang and giving a few repeat offenders long prison sentences might discourage others.

hasn't happened in AZ because our bull dyke dem governor is an illegal enabler. she has vetoed state bills that would have the local po-po do this at least twice.

"These would be volunteers who go through training, don't have a criminal background, who don't use firearms, and who would serve in a backup capacity to the Border Patrol," said U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who is one of the backers of the proposal. "Basically, I think it's just born out of the frustration on the part of a lot of people that we're not doing all we can to secure our borders," Smith said.

Okay, good quotes about people being frustrated and stuff, but NO F'ING WAY are you getting me on that border in ANY capacity without a weapon.

The REASON the BP is having trouble is because they are understaffed and underarmed. All this would do is give the drug/gun/people runners MORE warm bodies to shoot at.

If they want to get serious about this I suggest the following:
Training is handled by a Border Patrol officer and maybe a US Army SF guy (hey, it would make good training for them. This is after all what they do in foreign countries. Why have them doing in it Kenya when they can do it here?).  Patrols are sent out without with something like three or four volunteers for every BP officer (I'd guess that's as many as you could easily fit in a vehicle).  Armed in a common fashion (whatever handgun the BP uses, and I'd guess something that took AR 5.56mm mags). At least one guy with longer range AR with glass.  

Training would involve weapons, laws, arrest powers, patrol tactics, etc.

Quoted: Make those people provisional Texas State Police Officers, make it a state felony to enter Texas illegally from Mexico and gather up a few hundred immigrants and stick 'em in prison for a few years. Maybe you couldn't afford to jail all of them permanently but sticking a lot in (bad term) pow type camps for 60 days or making them break rocks for a couple of months on a chain gang and giving a few repeat offenders long prison sentences might discourage others.

I don't recall what came of it, but didn't Arizona send an invoice/bill to Washington for the cost of holding illegal felon aliens in their state prisons?  Seemed more a political message than anything.



I would NOT join in any border patrolling operation that disallowed me being armed.  You will not catch me on the border without the ability to protect myself from drug runners and coyotes...both human and the furry kind.

Quoted: Border Patrol "Civilian Auxiliary" Proposed "These would be volunteers who go through training, don't have a criminal background, who don't use firearms, and who would serve in a backup capacity to the Border Patrol," said U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who is one of the backers of the proposal. The chief sponsor, U.S. Rep John Culberson (R-Texas) compares the Border Protection Corps with the posses which brought in criminals in the days of the western frontier.

The BP Agents are being attacked by illegals and they are armed and in uniform

Yeah, Mr Culberson, it compares with the old west posses, except they were armed

The minute men did a good job of bringing a national spotlight on the problem, but not much more.  This just sounds like a bad idea and someone is bound to get hurt, or it will be another band-aid action and make people feel like they're doing something other than tying up manpower/babysitters with this abortion of a plan.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't think that'll work. Even if it went through they'd be under the control of the Border Patrol, who is going to tell them to go home and stay away from the border. Why haven't Texas/AZ and other states where there are big hassles with the border started enforcing a state law against entering the country/state illegally? Make those people provisional Texas State Police Officers, make it a state felony to enter Texas illegally from Mexico and gather up a few hundred immigrants and stick 'em in prison for a few years. Maybe you couldn't afford to jail all of them permanently but sticking a lot in (bad term) pow type camps for 60 days or making them break rocks for a couple of months on a chain gang and giving a few repeat offenders long prison sentences might discourage others. hasn't happened in AZ because our bull dyke dem governor is an illegal enabler. she has vetoed state bills that would have the local po-po do this at least twice. How'd she get elected out there?

AZ has historically been very strange in that regard.