Minuteman National Blog

Widespread reports yesterday of the U.S. Border Patrol reporting locations of Minuteman activities along the border have now broadened in scope. The reports obtained from the Mexican government include an August 2005 document, "Third Report on the Activities of Vigilantes" -- posted on Mexico''s Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site -- suggest U.S. officials were giving out more details than required by the Vienna Convention. Part of that information included reports on activities in the interior United States in locations such as Illinois, Nevada, Utah, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

The Department of Homeland Security in a statement is now officially denying any such activity took place giving no explanation why the Border Patrol confirmed the report earlier in the day.

In the initial report yesterday from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Border Patrol spokesman Mario Martinez confirmed the activity saying Mexico''s official perception of the civilian groups is that they are vigilantes, a belief the Border Patrol hoped to allay by entering into the cooperative agreement.

According to reports in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin today, the Department of Homeland Security would not elaborate on their statement to give any broader explanation.

From Sara Carter in today''s Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:

Officials disclaim Bulletin ''tipping'' report
By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is refuting a Daily Bulletin report that the U.S. Border Patrol provided information to the Mexican government about the whereabouts of civilian border watch groups.

~SNIP~

Kristi Clemens, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, would not elaborate on the agency''s statement other than to say the U.S. gives information to Mexican officials under the rules of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, which provides foreign nationals being detained by a government the right to consular access.

"This is the same agreement that protects United States citizens when they travel to foreign countries," according to the statement.

~SNIP~

Some of the information cited in the Mexican document originally was given only to U.S. Border Patrol and law enforcement officials, border watch organizers said.

"Nobody but law enforcement and Border Patrol knew where we were at," said Andy Ramirez, chairman of the Chino-based nonprofit group Friends of the Border Patrol. "So how is our base address on a Mexican government document dated last August? Nobody, not even media, had this information."

Ramirez said he revealed the location of his base camp only to local and federal officials. The Mexican document gives the exact location of his group''s site, which was on private property near San Diego.

According to Ramirez, the group had no encounters at that site with undocumented migrants, which would have been the only cause for that information to be revealed under the Vienna Convention.

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However, the Mexican report also contains specific information on civilian groups operating much farther inside the United States.

For example, the document notes that 50 Minuteman volunteers work in Chicago, focusing mainly on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

Minuteman volunteers said specific information -- such as the number of volunteers and their plans -- could have been provided only by law enforcement officials at that time. The document credits the various Mexican consul general offices in the U.S. with providing the information to the Mexican Foreign Secretary for the reports.

"How did they know the number of volunteers in Chicago? And why should the Mexican government care?" asked Connie Hair, spokeswoman for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps in Washington, D.C.

~SNIP~

Scott James, a former Tucson agent, resigned after eight years of service in February, citing a lack of support for agents by the Department of Homeland Security.

He said that U.S. Border Patrol officials provided office space inside their headquarters to Mexican consulate officials, allowed the consulate to dictate the agents'' activities, and gave the consulate information on ongoing investigations.

Such courtesies were not extended to consulate offices of other countries, James said.

Much, much more in today''s report. To read the full article, click on the title link!