All Things Not Islamaphobia/Terrorism/open borders/Anything French

[GMDino]

(12-02-2015, 12:16 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: There is a place for government .  I have always said this....  We are also an open faced society.  We don't hide behind masks.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Citizen-militia-undeterred-by-shooting-incident-5729635.php

Quote:
Photos showing dozens of members of the militia groups on the U.S.-Mexico border carrying semi-automatic rifles and wearing masks, camouflage and tactical gear provide one of the first glimpses into the group's activities on the border.


 leader of the self-described “Patriots,” a group of armed citizen volunteers patrolling the Rio Grande Valley border for illegal activity, said they were surprised that a [/url]U.S. Border Patrol agent shot in the direction of one of their volunteers last week, because moments before agents had sought their assistance.


The agent fired five shots in the direction of one of the volunteers on Friday but didn't hit him. The FBI is investigating the incident.



Rob Chupp, who heads up one of two Patriot teams in South Texas, said border agents frequently ask for backup from the volunteers, who have been in the area the past three weeks in response to a surge in illegal immigration in recent months.


“They knew exactly what we were doing and where we were doing it,” Chupp said. “So it absolutely shocked us that this would ever happen.”


A Border Patrol spokesperson denied that the agents request help from armed citizens groups. [url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Flocal&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Chris+Cabrera%22]Chris Cabrera, vice president of the union representing Border Patrol agents in the Valley, said he had “never heard of an agent soliciting backup from any militia types.”




Related Stories

• State lawmaker: Militias 'have the right' to be on the Texas border
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• The border crisis: Fact vs. fiction
• Militias move forward on Texas border, leader's background emerges
• Anti-government citizen militia groups want to 'secure the border' in Texas
  

Cabrera said, “If militia members call us or arrive on scene that is beyond our control, but we do not call on civilians for backup, it's a very dangerous environment that we patrol.”


Border Patrol said in a statement that while it appreciates the efforts of concerned citizens, it does not endorse or support any private group or organization taking matters into their own hands because it could have disastrous personal and public safety consequences.


According to Chupp, volunteers had previously discussed standard operating procedure with agents to avoid dangerous encounters like the one last week near Brownsville.



Chupp said the volunteer is a resident of the Rio Grande Valley and was dressed in shorts and a red T-shirt, which appears to conflict with initial reports that he was wearing fatigues. The agent fired twice and yelled “Stop,” the volunteer turned, dropped his rifle and identified himself, then the agent shot three more times, Chupp said.

The possibility of armed volunteers without law enforcement training doesn't thrill elected officials in the Valley, or even those who advocate for property owners who say they're living in fear of drug and human smugglers.