TOMBSTONE (By Susan Carroll, Arizona
Republic) September 27, 2005 — The leader of the nation's largest
civilian border patrol movement plans to launch a month long project
Saturday but expects less than half as many volunteers as originally
projected and is pleading to members for cash.
Chris Simcox, head of the Tombstone-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, estimated last spring that a patrol along the nation's northern and southern borders to stop illegal immigration scheduled for Oct. 1 would draw 10,000 volunteers. But he acknowledged last week that only about 4,000 have signed up.
Infighting, charges of racism and allegations of financial mismanagement have created rifts within the movement, an expansion of a volunteer border patrol effort known as the Minuteman Project tested along Arizona's border in April that received widespread media attention.
Bill Parmley, former coordinator for Texas, quit after alleging Simcox botched the organization's financing. He also warned that some members of his Goliad, Texas, chapter, which recently was shut down, were "racists" and "wanted to go after Mexicans as a whole," not simply report undocumented immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Although Simcox denied Parmley's allegations and said the organization is financially sound, his recent pleas for donations hint at money troubles. A Minuteman Civil Defense Corps e-mail sent Friday and signed by Simcox stated that overhead for the October operation has doubled because volunteers started patrolling after Hurricane Katrina to fill in for roughly 240 U.S. Border Patrol agents dispatched to the Gulf Coast.
"WILL YOU HELP?," the e-mail asks. "While we certainly encourage donations to worthy relief organizations, NOW is the time when we need help in order to 'pick up the slack.' We need each of you to consider an immediate $100 donation or to start donating $25 every week through the end of October."
Simcox said in an interview Monday that the e-mail request was "not urgent."
"It's just another request for donations," said Simcox, a former kindergarten teacher.
He said he sold his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, and now works full time organizing the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. He said he does not take a salary from the corporation he formed and filed for non-profit status in May.
The group has 20 chapters and members from 48 states. The organization even has an official outfitter for T-shirts and outdoor gear that returns a portion of its profits.
The national attention also led to the formation of at least a dozen spinoff organizations not affiliated with Simcox, including one in California that offers "Border Patrol in a Box" instructions on the Internet to start a civilian patrol.
"We see this developing into a nationwide civil defense, similar to what we had during World War II," Simcox said. "The government can't do everything. That's clear. Hurricane Katrina certainly exposed that. It's up to Americans to fend for themselves and to assist their government."
Although the civilian patrol movement seemed to gain traction quickly last spring in Arizona, the epicenter for illegal immigration in the country, organizers appear to be facing greater resistance in other states.
Rick Biesada, an organizer for the Chicago Minuteman Project, said it has been hard to generate much interest in the Midwest, despite setting up a table at a Des Plaines, Ill., gun show and planning a rally for Oct. 15.
"The Midwest isn't like the West Coast, where (illegal immigration) is really a big problem," said Biesada, 60, a self-employed trucker.
Along the Southwestern border from California to Texas patrol volunteers have been confronted by protesters who say the movement is racially motivated.
In San Diego, Latino organizations commissioned a billboard that calls Minuteman volunteers "migrant-hunters" in Spanish and says they are "in search of media attention."
The U.S. Border Patrol also continues to oppose civilians patrolling the nation's borders, said Mario Villarreal, a Washington, D.C.-based spokesman who asked that they "leave it to the professionals."
"Chris (Simcox) is one of these people, he's almost intoxicating to listen to, and you want to believe what he says," Parmley said. "But he doesn't back it up."
Parmley also says Simcox misled organizers by telling them he had an insurance policy that would cover all members and reneged on early promises to share the $50-per-head registration fee with local chapters.
Simcox said the registration fee covers background checks provided by a Maryland-based company called SentryLink, although he did not permit company officials to verify for a reporter how much the checks cost.
Simcox also denies saying he had the insurance policy that would cover all the members or landowners who allow patrols on their property.
Al Garza, who replaced Parmley as the leader in Texas, said the Minuteman group was "sad to see (Parmley) resign," but he said Parmley's allegations of racism regarding some Texas members and financial mismanagement by Simcox were investigated and were unfounded.
Simcox said pulling together the massive volunteer-driven effort has been a "challenge" and at times overwhelming. But he said he planned to push ahead with the patrols Saturday, which will involve volunteers reporting undocumented immigrants to the Border Patrol.
"It's growing into a political movement in this country. It's an expression of the frustration of citizens of this country with the federal government," he said. "We want the border secure now."
Chris Simcox, head of the Tombstone-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, estimated last spring that a patrol along the nation's northern and southern borders to stop illegal immigration scheduled for Oct. 1 would draw 10,000 volunteers. But he acknowledged last week that only about 4,000 have signed up.
Infighting, charges of racism and allegations of financial mismanagement have created rifts within the movement, an expansion of a volunteer border patrol effort known as the Minuteman Project tested along Arizona's border in April that received widespread media attention.
Bill Parmley, former coordinator for Texas, quit after alleging Simcox botched the organization's financing. He also warned that some members of his Goliad, Texas, chapter, which recently was shut down, were "racists" and "wanted to go after Mexicans as a whole," not simply report undocumented immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Although Simcox denied Parmley's allegations and said the organization is financially sound, his recent pleas for donations hint at money troubles. A Minuteman Civil Defense Corps e-mail sent Friday and signed by Simcox stated that overhead for the October operation has doubled because volunteers started patrolling after Hurricane Katrina to fill in for roughly 240 U.S. Border Patrol agents dispatched to the Gulf Coast.
"WILL YOU HELP?," the e-mail asks. "While we certainly encourage donations to worthy relief organizations, NOW is the time when we need help in order to 'pick up the slack.' We need each of you to consider an immediate $100 donation or to start donating $25 every week through the end of October."
Simcox said in an interview Monday that the e-mail request was "not urgent."
"It's just another request for donations," said Simcox, a former kindergarten teacher.
Intense spotlight
The media attention following April's patrol, which organizers said drew about 900 volunteers to southeastern Arizona, helped Simcox raise $150,000.He said he sold his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, and now works full time organizing the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. He said he does not take a salary from the corporation he formed and filed for non-profit status in May.
The group has 20 chapters and members from 48 states. The organization even has an official outfitter for T-shirts and outdoor gear that returns a portion of its profits.
The national attention also led to the formation of at least a dozen spinoff organizations not affiliated with Simcox, including one in California that offers "Border Patrol in a Box" instructions on the Internet to start a civilian patrol.
"We see this developing into a nationwide civil defense, similar to what we had during World War II," Simcox said. "The government can't do everything. That's clear. Hurricane Katrina certainly exposed that. It's up to Americans to fend for themselves and to assist their government."
Although the civilian patrol movement seemed to gain traction quickly last spring in Arizona, the epicenter for illegal immigration in the country, organizers appear to be facing greater resistance in other states.
Rick Biesada, an organizer for the Chicago Minuteman Project, said it has been hard to generate much interest in the Midwest, despite setting up a table at a Des Plaines, Ill., gun show and planning a rally for Oct. 15.
"The Midwest isn't like the West Coast, where (illegal immigration) is really a big problem," said Biesada, 60, a self-employed trucker.
Along the Southwestern border from California to Texas patrol volunteers have been confronted by protesters who say the movement is racially motivated.
In San Diego, Latino organizations commissioned a billboard that calls Minuteman volunteers "migrant-hunters" in Spanish and says they are "in search of media attention."
The U.S. Border Patrol also continues to oppose civilians patrolling the nation's borders, said Mario Villarreal, a Washington, D.C.-based spokesman who asked that they "leave it to the professionals."
Money troubles?
One of the more damaging blows to the organization came with the resignation of Parmley, former head of the Texas chapter and owner of an oil and gas drilling company. Parmley, 50, said that he ended up paying about $10,000 out of his own pocket for expenses and never was repaid, an allegation Simcox denied."Chris (Simcox) is one of these people, he's almost intoxicating to listen to, and you want to believe what he says," Parmley said. "But he doesn't back it up."
Parmley also says Simcox misled organizers by telling them he had an insurance policy that would cover all members and reneged on early promises to share the $50-per-head registration fee with local chapters.
Simcox said the registration fee covers background checks provided by a Maryland-based company called SentryLink, although he did not permit company officials to verify for a reporter how much the checks cost.
Simcox also denies saying he had the insurance policy that would cover all the members or landowners who allow patrols on their property.
Al Garza, who replaced Parmley as the leader in Texas, said the Minuteman group was "sad to see (Parmley) resign," but he said Parmley's allegations of racism regarding some Texas members and financial mismanagement by Simcox were investigated and were unfounded.
Simcox said pulling together the massive volunteer-driven effort has been a "challenge" and at times overwhelming. But he said he planned to push ahead with the patrols Saturday, which will involve volunteers reporting undocumented immigrants to the Border Patrol.
"It's growing into a political movement in this country. It's an expression of the frustration of citizens of this country with the federal government," he said. "We want the border secure now."
