RESOURCES
Articles & News Reports
The Online NewsHour: Casualties of the Drug War
A grand jury considers whether to charge a Marine, who shot and killed a U.S. citizen during drug interdiction on the U.S.-Mexican border, with murder. The controversy has brought the use of regular military units to patrol the border under intense scrutiny. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports. (September 13, 1997)
The New York Times: ""After Marine on Patrol Kills a Teen-Ager, a Texas Border Village Wonders Why"
The residents of Redford, Texas reflect on the death of Esequiel Hernández and speak out about the use of the military on the U.S./Mexican border. (June 29, 1997)
Democracy Now!: Militarizing the Border: Bush Calls For 6,000 National Guard Troops to Deploy to U.S.-Mexican Border
Democracy Now convenes a panel discussion following the May 2006 announcement of Operation Jump Start. Four experts and host Amy Goodman discuss the growing militarization of the border and the role that private contractors, such as Halliburton, are playing.
Drug Policy Forum of Texas: Focus on Hernández Killing
This partisan group against the war on drugs and in favor of the decriminalization of drugs in America put together this collection of links to articles about the death of Esequiel Hernández from the late 90s.
Other Sites
Arhoolio Records:"El Corrido De Esequiel Hernández"
The corrido is a song in narrative form, popular in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Esequiel Hernández is memorialized in "El Corrido de Esequiel Hernández: La Tragedia de Redford, Texas" by Santiago Jimenez Jr. This offical site for the artist offers an audio clip of the song.
U.S.-Mexico Border Security
Articles and News Reports
The Washington Post: Militarizing the Border: Bush Calls For 6,000 National Guard Troops to Deploy to U.S.-Mexican Border
Following President George Bush's call to secure America's territory with the help of the U.S. military in 2006, many who once found themselves pleading for government assistance are questioning the policy. Check out the Post's notable "View from the Border" photography series. (May 16, 2006)
The Texas Observer: Soldiers on the border five years after 9/11
In this article, Mary Jo McConahay takes a look at the increasing rhetoric of violence used to rationalize the use of military force along the border since 9/11, as well as its effects upon local communities. (September 8, 2006)
The Interhemispheric Research Center: Borderlines #66 (PDF)
The IRC's online publication Borderlines provides an indepth look at the evolving drug and immigration policies of the United States and looks into the growing militarization of the U.S.-Mexican border. (April 2000)
In Motion magazine: "The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexican Border: Interview with Maria Jimenez"
Some Texans question the wisdom of the increasing militarization of border security. In this interview with In Motion magazine, Maria Jimenez of the Immigration Law Enforcement Monitoring Project (LEMP), a project of the American Friends Service Committee, talks about her concerns. (February 2, 1998)
POV - Al Otro Lado: Border Crossing Resources
This collection of articles collected for the 2006 Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side) broadcast focus on border security and the realities that immigrants face when they attempt to cross the border illegally on foot.
Organizations
Minutemen Civil Defense Corps
In 2002, Chris Simcox sought to "shame the government" into doing its job by creating his own citizens border patrol militia. The group strongly supports the increased military presence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Their website is a valuable source of information about pending legislation related to border security. The organization's tone and tenor mirror that of its close but independent ally, the Minutemen Project.
The Minuteman Project
Californian Jim Gilchrist started the Minuteman Project in 2004 after being frustrated by the federal government's failure to, in his opinion, "simply enforce existing immigration laws." There are Minuteman Project chapters in nearly 20 states.
Photo Gallery
Border Film Project
Take a look at our photo gallery of our favorite pictures collected as part of this project, and then view more on the Border Film Project website. The project collects photos taken by members of two groups on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexican border -- undocumented migrants crossing the desert and American Minutemen volunteers trying to stop them.
Posse Comitatus
The Myth of Posse Comitatus
Civilian immigration attorney and U.S. Army Reserve Major Craig T. Trebilcok offers an indepth analysis of the Posse Comitatus Act in this paper. He believes that since the act is a "statutory creation" and "not a constitutional prohibition" that it "can and has been repeatedly circumvented by subsequent legislation." The erosion of various tenets of the act does not, in his view, undermine the basic principles of the statute, but rather adapts to the present-day needs of American security. (October 2000)
The Posse Comitatus Act: A Resource Guide
Stephan Young, a law librarian at the Catholic University of America, contextualizes the idea of Posse Comitatus, from the drafting of the Magna Carta in 1215 to the passage of the Posse Comitatus Act in 1878 to present day on the Law and Technology Resources for Legal Professionals website.
Border Crossing
Border Film Project
The creators of this project gave hundreds of disposable cameras to two groups on different sides of the border: undocumented Mexican immigrants trying to cross over into the United States, and the Minutemen trying to stop them. The resulting photographs provide a fascinating glimpse of the two groups.
Washington Post: Along Part of the Border, a Zero-Tolerance Zone
In a part of Texas, a new, zero-tolerance policy has been implemented for illegal immigrants trying to cross the border. If apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol, the immigrants face prosecution and jail time. Will it discourage illegal immigrants from trying to cross the border? Find out more from this article and explore life along "La Linea" -- the U.S./Mexico border -- in a sidebar feature. (June 18, 2006)
San Francisco Chronicle: Dangerous Border
Facing harsh landscapes, U.S. Border Patrol, and vigilante groups as they try to cross into the United States, an increasing number of illegal immigrants have died on the border. This series of articles examines the dangers faced by the immigrants who try to make the journey to the U.S. (May 2004)
Speakout: U.S./Mexican Border: Can a Good Fence Make Bad Neighbors?
Should a fence be erected along the U.S./Mexico border? Or should the border be de-militarized? Read thoughts from both sides of the argument here to come to your own conclusions. (June 15, 2000)
BBC News: Web Users to "Patrol" U.S. Border
This article summarizes Texas's plan to enlist web surfers in its fight against illegal immigrants by offering live surveillance footage of the Mexican border on the Internet. Users will be able to watch the border and phone authorities if they spot immigrants trying to cross. (June 2, 2006)
PBS & NPR
PBS.org Websites
The Online NewsHour: Opening the Border
Mexico's president-elect Vicente Fox has proposed opening the border between his country and the United States. After a background report, three experts debate the proposal. (August 25, 2000)
The Online NewsHour: National Guard Assists with Security Along U.S.-Mexican Border
President Bush began the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard soldiers to the four states on the U.S.-Mexican border to perform support duties for border patrols in the summer of 2006. The NewsHour provides a report. (October 2, 2006)
The Online NewsHour: Experts Debate Fence Along Mexico Border, Immigration Policy in the U.S.
President Bush signed a bill to build 700 miles of fence along the U.S. border with Mexico. Experts debate the controversial immigration policy. (October 26, 2006)
NewsHour EXTRA: Civilian Militia Patrol U.S.-Mexican Border
A group of self-appointed civilian border patrol agents have begun a month-long effort along the U.S.-Mexican border to stem the flow of illegal immigration into the United States, frustrating federal authorities who say they will hamper not help the problem. (April 6, 2005)
Frontline World -- Mexico: Crimes at the Border
Take a look at U.S. policy toward immigration and border security with Mexico over the past 60 years in this comprehensive timeline. (2008)
NPR Stories
Talk of the Nation: Militarizing the Border: A Look at Challenges to Securing the U.S. Border
A bill signed by President Bush includes a significant increase in funding for border security. Over the years, successive administrations have tried to tighten control of the border with Mexico. Fences and patrols have changed immigration routes, but so far, nothing has stopped people coming across. This NPR panel discussion includes, Caitlin Harrington; who covers Homeland Security for Congressional Quarterly; Doug Moiser, a public information officer for the El Paso Border Patrol and Clare May; the Police Chief of Columbus, New Mexico.
Morning Edition: Marine Not Indicted
NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports that a Texas grand jury has decided not to indict a Marine who shot a high school student along the Mexican border. Jurors ruled that the Marine, who was patrolling the border for drug smugglers, fired in self-defense. (August 15, 1997)
All Things Considered: Utah Guardsmen Repair Arizona's Border Fences
Members of the Utah National Guard are in Arizona, shoring up fencing and roads along the Arizona-Mexico border as part of President Bush's plan to deploy Guard troops in the area. Melissa Block talks with Capt. Talon Greeff, commander of the 116th Construction Support Company. (June 6, 2006)
All Things Considered: Border Drug Wars Plague Cities in Mexico and U.S.
Drug cartels have made Juarez the deadliest city in Mexico. But they also operate just across the border, in El Paso, Texas -- one of the safest cities in the U.S. NPR's Jason Beaubien speaks with host Andrea Seabrook about efforts to stop the violence. (June 29, 2008)
Morning Edition: Governors Resist as Guard Readies to Leave Border
Two years ago, thousands of National Guard troops went to the southwest U.S. border with Mexico to secure it from illegal entry. That temporary assignment ends in July. It's been hailed as a success. The Border Patrol says it now has the numbers to take over, but border state governors say they want the troops to remain. (June 25, 2008)
Tell Me More: Human Rights Commission Critical Crackdown
The Human Rights Commission is critical of Prince William County's tough stance on illegal immigration. Chris Labiosa, vice-chairman of the county's Human Rights Commission, discusses his group's most significant concerns with the resolution and their plans to fire back if those concerns are not addressed.
Weekend Edition: Conjunto
Scott traveled to San Antonio, Texas, where he visited with Santiago Jimenez, a third generation accordian player who plays in the tradition of a Texas-Mexican style called "conjunto." Scott talks with Santiago about this dying culture and listens to the sounds of Jimenez and his band. (November 20, 1999)