The Minutemen Project demonstrated that with realistic and immediate manpower increases illegal immigration on America’s southern border would be dramatically reduced if not virtually eliminated compared to current levels of illegal crossings.
Approximately 900 volunteers participated in the Project over the 30-day period. An estimated 125-450 volunteers were actively involved in the Project at any given time, functioning in a lightly armed constabulary role, without arrest powers.
Volunteers paid their own expenses, received no pay, and were drawn from all regions of the country. Volunteers received approximately two days training before active duty. Many volunteers were former military, while some had previous law enforcement training. Operational organization was military in nature.
Based on field observations, the Project deployed on average 6-20 personnel per border mile, although at an unsustainable tempo, and with conditions that artificially amplified the impact of Project volunteers.
A successful immediate replication of the Minuteman Project would require an average 12 –24 enforcement personnel per mile, or around 36,000 total additional personnel to adequately secure the entire 2,000 mile southern border. An additional 12,000 support personnel may be necessary to provide services over an extended deployment.
Physical injury of volunteers or immigrants, violence, and political border incidents were avoided through the exceptional leadership and prior planning exhibited by Minuteman Project leaders, and the high caliber and total mission dedication of volunteer personnel the organization was able to field for a limited deployment.
It is doubtful that these standards could be maintained over time with an unpaid volunteer organizational structure.
Congress and the states could sustain the success of the Minuteman Project with immediate provision of an adequate number of
legally authorized auxiliary border enforcement personnel, charged with similar light-armed constabulary duties, and in coordination with the Border Patrol. This could be achieved immediately through a combination of means.
The States, Congress or the President could provide for deployment of the National Guard, and/or Homeland Security Grants for authorized State Defense Forces to assist the Border Patrol at the discretion of their respective Governors. Troops would need to be drawn from multiple states in order not to exhaust the manpower resources of the border states. Congress and the President could also deploy federal forces to the border to relieve state reinforcements, until the Border Patrol can be permanently strengthened.
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