Latino Activists plan border protests Against White Vigilante Minuteman Group

A largely Latino network of activists is preparing to protest on both sides of the border a partially armed civilian border-patrol operation that aims to deter illegal immigration. Protest activities next month, spearheaded by the National Alliance for Human Rights, will include rallies and vigils in border cities like Douglas, Ariz., and in Agua Prieta, Mexico, to counter the Minuteman Project, which is expected to draw about 1,000 people from across the country to monitor and report illegal crossings during April. Latino activists plan to protest today in the Aliso Viejo neighborhood of Minuteman Project founder James Gilchrist, activists announced at a San Bernardino news conference Friday. They also plan to form a patrol of their own at the Arizona-Mexican border to monitor the situation and warn border crossers of the Minuteman Project operation. All protests will be nonviolent, organizers said. The network's activists say they will also ask federal and state agencies to put a stop to the Minuteman Project. "We are going to be doing this mobilization on the border because we think these domestic terrorists are very dangerous and are trying to privatize the actions of the Border Patrol,' said Felipe Aguirre, state chairman of the Partido de la Revolucion Democratica in California. [more]