The Minutemen

The Minutemen – Men of an Era?

For the past four years, Robert “Lil Dog” Crooks, a vigilante, has made himself at home on Patriot Pointe, a desolate desert surrounded by an infinite horizon near the Arizona/Mexico border. His days consist of watching the move of every illegal immigrant trying to cross the border into the U.S. He clutches his walkie-talkie to notify his fellow comrade of an immigrant spotting, only to see a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter flying overhead with every intention of capturing the illegals and taking them back to their homeland. All of the sudden you hear his raspy, smoker’s voice yell, “Yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” flailing his arms in the air. That is the highlight of “Lil Dog’s” day, everyday.

This intimate documentary, directed by Corey Wascinski, couldn’t have come at a more controversial time, as illegal immigration is a hot topic in politics right now. Minutemen, were once prominent during the Revolutionary War for their rapid deployment and organization. Now, a small group of volunteer patriots in the desert call themselves minutemen. They have the self appointed task of protecting our borders from illegal immigrants.

The audience is exposed to it all – we see the landscape, surroundings, hopeful illegal immigrants and the “barriers” that are currently dividing the United States and Mexico. Much to my surprise, we are shown an area of land where many, “OTM” “other than Mexicans” reside. Large populations of Brazilians and Polish people make homes for themselves in this particular area near the border – usually out of garbage or any other scraps they can find. We are introduced to a railroad tunnel that runs between the two countries with literally no barriers. When walking through this tunnel what is the only indication that you have crossed the border? The words, “Mex|USA” are simply spray painted on the dark walls of the tunnel.

We are then taken to an area where drug smugglers are known to emerge. Vigilantes and Border Patrol must constantly be armed for these areas, as they are extremely dangerous. Rape and “prostitution rooms” are very common near the border as immigrants will clearly do anything for money or a chance at freedom. These scenes were very disturbing, I must admit. The audience is taken into an empty prostitution tent and shown…everything…up close and personal.

Ranchers are constantly on guard as their livestock is always at high risk. Immigrants will cut down the barbed wire fences, thus, allowing for ranchers’ livestock to escape. This made it easy to see why so many ranchers are passionate about their country and proud of their farms.

The audience is not only exposed to the unconventional old-timers on guard but also the soccer mom next door. One soccer mom takes us to a parking lot near Home Depot in San Diego where we find several Hispanic men –apparent illegal aliens—lingering on the corner looking for someone to pick them up and pay them for work. These men become extremely bothered by the fact that cameras are rolling and ask them to be turned off. This leads to a series of arguments between the soccer mom, the Hispanics and the police.

Those who are in favor of granting citizenship to illegal aliens also make their voice heard throughout this documentary. We are taken to protests and parades where we witness some hostile moments.

As the documentary concludes, the camera pans along the side of a dirt road where nearly 20 illegal immigrants sit, despondently, waiting for deportation – mothers, fathers, grandparents and children all hoping to work. A U.S. border patrolman softly comments to the camera, “One thing is really evident. These people want our country a lot more than we do. You wouldn’t get Americans to sacrifice like that. You can’t even get kids to rake the yard without paying them 20 bucks to do so…”

Is he right?

Jessica Aymond © October 24, 2010