[ziggytrix]

There’s no denying that some kind of deterrent is taking place along the Arizona-Mexico border. In April 2004, according to Zortman, the Border Patrol made a total of 27,594 apprehensions in the 87-mile long Naco-Douglas border area, a portion of which was patrolled by the Minutemen. This April, apprehensions in that same area dropped to 11,482, including the 1,327 that were a result of citizen phone calls.

The reduction in apprehensions is “definitely not [attributed] to any citizens on the border,” Zortman said. Instead, she said that Border Patrol programs both this year and last intended to permanently beef up patrol efforts, resulted in fewer attempts to illegally cross the border. In addition, Zortman said a strong presence “on the south side” from Mexican military and law enforcement is helping a great deal.

Border Patrol officials dismiss any notion that the Minuteman presence in April was anything other an occasional nuisance, including setting off more than 200 false alerts from motion sensors as they tread too close to the border, Zortman said.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7725470/