SANTA FE, NM
(East Valley Tribune)
June 22, 2010 The Pinal County
Sheriff's Office allowed a Gilbert man and his militia to patrol the
desert in Vekol Valley near Casa Grande over the weekend looking for
undocumented immigrants participating in criminal activities, but
stressed it does not condone such militia efforts.
"We currently have operations that are ongoing and advise all citizens
to not take law enforcement matters into their own hands," Pinal County
Sheriff Paul Babeu said in a statement issued Monday.
"Hate groups and other militia-type
groups have also made arrangements to patrol, not at our request. This
is not helpful and personally and professionally, I do not endorse, nor
do I tolerate hate speech, discrimination or bigotry of any kind. These
groups should stay out of Pinal County."
J.T. Ready, a leader of the Mesa Chapter of the National Socialist
Movement, believed to be the largest neo-Nazi group in the United
States, led a group of armed men during an operation on Bureau of Land
Management property, according to Lt. Tamatha Villar, a spokeswoman for
the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
Ready, who has been gaining media attention for his group's stance
against undocumented immigration, said his group wants to put a stop to
what he calls "narco-terrorists" and help protect the border.
Ready's group patrolled the area
from 3 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday, but no reported incidents took
place, Villar said.
"We did not get involved in their operation," Villar said. "With taxed
resources already, we did not want to be taxed further. If they would
have been doing anything illegal, we would have put a stop to them. They
weren't on private land, and when these groups set up camps on public
land, we can't do anything about it unless there's emergency issues."
Ready told the Tribune on Monday this past weekend's operation was a
"monumental event," and his group plans to continue its patrols
throughout the summer, but would not say the number of participants,
citing security measures.
"It's bad enough that you have to tell the enemy when and where you're
going to block them," Ready said. "We're not just going to shoot
anybody. We want to make it damn near impossible for drug and human
smugglers to get through the area. Our focus is to block the area and
deny access to drug cartels. We want to make sure we make their lives
miserable. It will be deadly for them to cross that border, and we will
ensure that we operate within the statutes in the Arizona Revised Code
when it comes to acting out in self defense when we have to. If these
guys don't want to be vulture food, they should consider finding another
career."
Villar said that although Ready's men were armed, his group had informed
the sheriff's office about their plans to be in the area and deputies
chose to continue "business as usual."
"They were told they were not wanted down here, but they continued their
operation," Villar said. "They didn't do anything to help. When groups
come down here to patrol and think they're helping, they are not. It
presents for us logistical issues with law enforcement."
