I got an email from the SPLC that said

[TX] Border Patrol Chief, Mayor want nothing to do with Minutemen

Laredo Morning Times / August 24, 2006

Neither the chief of Border Patrol in the Laredo sector nor Laredo's mayor are happy that Jim Gilchrist's Minutemen are coming to town.

I am not surprised that a senior law enforcement officer and a local politician are opposed to citizens defending themselves and their nation—but there's a detail that wasn't included in the the original email.

The Border Patrol guy is Acting Chief Patrol Agent Reynaldo Garza, his Deputy Chief is John Cristian Esquivel, the Mayor of Laredo is Raul Salinas. Is it surprising that they don't want the Minutemen?

[TX] Border Patrol Chief, Mayor want nothing to do with Minutemen Laredo Morning Times / August 24, 2006

The head of the Border Patrol said Wednesday he doesn't want members of the Minuteman Project working near his agents when they come to the Laredo area next month. The civilian group, which reports illegal immigrants to immigration authorities, is expected to start patrolling the border in the Laredo area on Sept. 11 and continue through Nov. 7.

Acting Chief Patrol Agent Reynaldo Garza of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Laredo Sector said he can't prevent the civilians from coming to Laredo, but said they won't be allowed to interfere with official business.

John Cristian Esquivel, deputy chief, said the agency wants to know where the Minuteman members will be to avoid any problems.

"We're not going to tell them what they can or can't do. They are responsible for their own actions," Esquivel said. "They can be on private property. It's a matter of who will allow them to occupy their land." [...]

Mayor Raul Salinas said that if any of the members of the Minuteman Project violate the law, they will be arrested just as any other citizen.

"The Border Patrol forces are professionals and they have maintained peace and safety," Salinas said. "I think they (Minuteman members) are simply looking for publicity."

Salinas said Jim Gilchrist, founder of the civilian group, is just looking for media attention to help sell his new book...

The Laredo Morning Times reports [SPLCenter.org: Immigration Watch for August 29, 2006]