Showdown on the Border
Violent, terror-connected gang threatens to confront civilian immigration patrols
The leader of a violent, terror-connected Latin American gang Mara Salvatruchas, Ebner Anivel Rivera-Paz, has reportedly issued orders from federal prison to members of his international criminal organization to teach a lesson to a group of Americans taking border control into their own hands.
American civilians, known as the "Minutemen," have some 750 volunteers ready to show up in Tombstone to start policing the border and dealing with illegal immigration.
The Mara Salvatruchas, founded in Los Angeles, is one of the most violent and widespread gangs with members in South America, the U.S. and Canada. Many of its members and leaders have been deported from the U.S., and according to U.S. law enforcement sources, the group is said to be deeply involved in cross-border arms-running and drug-smuggling operations.
Lately, the gang has joined forces with former members of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, a radical terrorist group, and some U.S. intelligence sources say they may also be cooperating with Islamic terrorist groups including al-Qaida.
The Minutemen hope to form a group of civilians from all walks of life to patrol the border day and night even with the threat of such violence. Their goal is stop the flow of illegal immigration through the Arizona-Mexico border, the biggest entry point into the U.S.
The target is a 230-mile stretch of desert along the Arizona-Mexico border. Some people call the area "America's Open Door." Along this section of the border, more than 43 percent of all illegal entries to the U.S. take place.
Last year, the Tucson Border Patrol apprehended 491,000. But for every person caught, immigration sources say, at least five walk in undetected.
Some say taking the work of border patrol into their own hands could be deadly. While the Minutemen stress non-violence, they don't rule out the possibility that many of the volunteers will be armed. Ten percent of the members are said to be retired law enforcement officers who have a right to carry a concealed weapon.
The U.S. Border Patrol in Tucson warned "people are going to get hurt." Many of these volunteers don't know what they're in for.
"When you have untrained civilians, that are armed, that are out in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night, in the dark, and they meet up with one of these smuggling organizations ... you're going to have a gun fight," said a Border Patrol spokesman.
Border patrol agents have seen a growing problem with violence in recent years. Agents have been attacked by frustrated smugglers with rocks, bricks, even automatic weapons.
According to authorities, violence along the Tucson sector has climbed to an all-time high. Border Patrol representatives say that "Bringing untrained civilians into this border environment is a recipe for disaster."
But that has not deterred many of the volunteers.
The Minutemen even have an air force. They plan to use about two dozen aircraft to patrol the skies near the border.
Rivera-Paz was arrested three weeks ago and is accused of murdering more than two dozen people in Honduras. He was wanted in connection with the December bus massacre of 28 people, including six children, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The Mara Salvatruchas identify themselves with tattoos, such as "MS" or the numbers 13 and 18, signifying their relationship to the gang. The gang formed in the United States in the 1980s in a Los Angeles prison. The 13 and 18 signify the city streets in L.A. where they hung out.
U.S. officials are concerned the gang members might help sneak al-Qaida terrorists into America.
Rivera-Paz was charged with illegally entering the United States after being deported, but is expected to be extradited to Honduras to face charges in connection with the bus massacre.
