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April 2005 Minuteman Project In early 2005 Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox issued a call to Americans to come patrol the US/Mexico border in central Arizona. Calling themselves the Minuteman Project, organizers claimed they would draw more than 1000 Americans to the border, highlighting the failure of U.S. border policy and providing Amercans the opportunity to participate in border enforcement. President Bush labled the group 'vigilantes' and Border Patrol has publicly distanced itself from the volunteers, calling them a nuisance, danger, and distraction. Governor Schwartzeneggar applauded the Minuteman efforts, and some heard a rallying cry to start patrolling the California border. The project caught the attention of the American media and the American people as we continue a difficult and complex debate over immigration and border policy. I spent nearly twenty days in southern Arizona and northern Sonora documenting the border itself, the Minuteman volunteers, the migrants they hunt, and those called to protest policy and lessen suffering on both sides of the border. It is not possible to address all the issues in conversation, nor did I try to shoot the weapon and drug smuggling that is a real part of the equation and the economy. I focus on human stories in a unique time and place. I passed time and conversation with Minuteman volunteers from all over the nation, and met Mexican migrants traveling far from home in search of work. The most amazing community, however, was not made of Americans or Mexicans drawn to the border for their own reasons, but rather was the cross-border community that exists in the bordertowns all along the line. These are the people living the reality of US/Mexico border policy and witnessing the nearly constant stream of human migration. Be sure to check out the volleyball game they play across the border fence . My thanks to the people of Arizona and Sonora who welcomed me and my camera into their lives, if only for a few weeks. |
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