Minuteman Project facts for kids

The Minuteman Project is a group started in the United States in August 2004. It was founded by Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox. The group's main goal was to watch the border between the United States and Mexico. They wanted to observe people crossing the border without official permission.

The name "Minuteman Project" comes from the Minutemen. These were citizen soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. The Minuteman Project calls itself "a citizens' Neighborhood Watch on our border." It has gained a lot of media attention because it focuses on the issue of people crossing the border without permission.

Besides watching the border, the Minuteman Project also created a group called a political action committee. This group worked to support politicians who wanted strict immigration laws. They also focused on making the border more secure. Members of the Minuteman Project believe that government officials have not done enough to protect the country's borders. They strongly support building a wall and adding more border patrol agents or military staff. This would help control movement across the Mexico–United States border. Many members also do not support amnesty (a way for people to become legal residents) or a guest worker program. They also oppose sending money to Mexico to improve its roads and buildings.

History of the Minuteman Project

First Border Watch Operation

In early 2005, Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox gathered over 1,200 volunteers. This was for their first border watch. For one month, these volunteers watched a 23-mile part of the Arizona-Mexico border. They counted how many migrants approached the border. They reported their presence and tried to prevent them from crossing. Many volunteers came from Utah. They later joined local groups to form the Utah Minuteman Project (UMP). This group worked to make people aware of "the threat of immigration" through local news and public talks.

The T-shirt Incident

On April 6, 2005, three Minuteman Project volunteers met a 25-year-old immigrant. They convinced him to hold a T-shirt and pose for a photo and video. The T-shirt, also worn by volunteer Bryan Barton, said: "Bryan Barton caught me crossing the border and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

The volunteer met the young man near a main highway when he was not on duty. He then called the Border Patrol. He gave the man $20 as the U.S. Border Patrol arrived and took the man into custody. Some people criticized the Minuteman Project about this event. However, an investigation by the Cochise County Sheriff's office found the volunteer had done nothing wrong. The Border Patrol and the Mexican consul agreed that no crime had happened. The ACLU later shared a public statement about this incident.

Garden Grove Protest Incident

On May 25, 2005, Jim Gilchrist spoke in Garden Grove, California. He was talking to the California Coalition for Immigration Reform. Hal Netkin, a Minuteman supporter, came to the event. When he arrived, his car was surrounded by people protesting. Demonstrators reportedly rocked his car and hit it.

Garden Grove Police Lt. Mike Handfield said some of the 300 demonstrators were there "not to protest but to commit criminal acts." He also said some people had "backpacks filled with full cans of soda that they were throwing and also cans filled with marbles that they threw." Lt. Handfield stated that it was "reasonable for him to move forward" through the crowd. Two people standing in front of Netkin's car fell when he moved. Both went to the hospital. The police then declared the gathering illegal. Lt. Handfield said, "It got out of control in terms of protesters getting violent." However, Jan Tucker, who was with leaders from the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the crowd outside was peaceful.

Stopping Aid to Migrants

In January 2006, the California Minutemen's actions helped stop a program. This program was supported by Humane Borders and the Mexican government. It aimed to give over 70,000 maps to migrants. The maps were not meant to encourage illegal entry. Instead, they showed locations of water stations, rescue beacons, and places where deaths had occurred. This was to help prevent deaths and injuries. However, Miguel Angel Paredes from Mexico's National Human Rights Commission said this would be "practically like telling the Minutemen where the migrants are going to be." He added that they would have to "rethink this, so that we wouldn't almost be handing them over to groups that attack migrants." Because of these concerns, the map program was cancelled.

Fake Video Incident (August 2007)

In August 2007, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported on two videos. These videos seemed to show two Minutemen killing a person believed to be an illegal immigrant near the Mexico/California border. The videos appeared briefly on YouTube but were quickly removed. In the video, a figure is seen through night vision being shot. Two people narrating the video make rude comments, showing satisfaction.

A few days later, Minuteman representatives told reporters that the videos were fake. They said members of another group, the Mountain Minutemen, made them. Robert "Little Dog" Crooks, who admitted making the video, said, "we're old men and we're bored." He stated he made the video to share a political opinion about an immigration bill being discussed. After this incident, Minuteman Project leader Jim Gilchrist banned his group from working with the Mountain Minutemen.

Support for the Minuteman Project

On April 28, 2005, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was then the governor of California, praised the Minuteman Project. During an interview on The John and Ken Show radio program, he said the group was doing "a terrific job." The next day, he repeated his support. He said the Minutemen would be welcome to patrol the border between California and Mexico.

Other people who supported the Minuteman Project included the Council of Conservative Citizens. Also, national radio hosts Sean Hannity and Michael Savage showed their support. Tennessee radio host James Edwards and Virginia activist Mark Hopkins were also supporters.

During the 2016 United States presidential election, discussions about building a border wall and deporting many people matched the Minuteman Project's goals. Jim Gilchrist said he felt his goals were met. He saw how much people were talking about immigration issues. He first supported Ted Cruz for president. Ted Cruz openly criticized Barack Obama's policy of amnesty. He also consistently opposed Obama's efforts for immigration reform.

Internal Problems

Some members of an advisory board for the Minuteman Project, Inc. tried to take control of the group's bank account. They also temporarily took control of the Minuteman Project's main website. Jim Gilchrist filed a lawsuit in Orange County, California. He sued three people who claimed to be board members: Marvin Stewart, Deborah Courtney, and Barbara Coe.

Stewart, Courtney, and Coe claimed they were the official board of directors for Minuteman Project, Inc. They said they fired Gilchrist for various reasons. However, Gilchrist had already fired Stewart and Courtney. Instead of accepting this, Stewart and Courtney filed papers saying they were the board of directors and officers of the organization.

A court case began on January 4, 2010. On February 5, 2010, Judge Wilkinson made a decision. He found that Stewart and Courtney were legally fired from the Minuteman Project, Inc. on February 2, 2007. The judge ruled that the meeting where they were fired was properly announced. The reason for the meeting (firing Courtney, Coe, and Stewart) was also announced. Courtney, Coe, and Stewart were at the meeting. The court decided that in earlier meetings, their attempts to fire other board members were not valid. This was because they did not give proper notice, did not have enough members present, and the directors lacked authority. At the February 2, 2007, meeting, Barbara Coe resigned her position. Stewart and Courtney were fired.

Judge Wilkinson ruled that the two defendants were legally removed from the board of the Minuteman Project on February 2, 2007. He stated that they were "under no circumstances" board members after that date. He issued a permanent order against them claiming to be board members, officers, or spokespersons for the Minuteman Project. He also told them to remove any websites with false claims. Finally, he ordered them to return any Minuteman Project property they had. This ruling confirmed Jim Gilchrist's position as the head of the Minuteman Project, Inc. and its new group, Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman Project, Inc.

Observers and Reports

Various media groups, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and observers from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have watched Minutemen volunteers at work. In November 2006, the ACLU released a report. It said that many daily newspapers "wildly exaggerated" the number of volunteers. These volunteers had taken part in the group's operation in southeastern Arizona in April 2005.

Individuals who claimed to be board members of the Minuteman Project said they removed Gilchrist as the head. They made claims about fraud and money problems. However, a representative from the Delaware Secretary of State told the Los Angeles Times that only Gilchrist could make those changes. In a May 2007 interview, Gilchrist said: "I'm the President and always was. I got the corporation back. I have the right to the web site, the bank account, everything. We are back in the same position as we were prior to the hijacking." Judge Wilkinson issued a temporary order. This order stopped the board members from spending Minuteman Project donations until Gilchrist's lawsuit was solved. In April 2007, Gilchrist announced a new non-profit group. It was named Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman Project, Inc.

See also

In Spanish: Proyecto Minuteman para niños

• Border Film Project