Jason "J.T." Ready, a 37-year-old ex-Marine, is taking matters into his own hands, declaring war on "narco-terrorists" and keeping an eye out for illegal immigrants. So far, he says, his patrols have found only a few border crossers, who were given water and handed over to the Border Patrol. Once, a patrol found a decaying body in a wash and alerted authorities.
But local law enforcement officials are nervous given that Ready's group is heavily armed and identifies with the National Socialist Movement, an organization proclaiming that only non-Jewish, white heterosexuals should be American citizens and that everyone who isn't white should leave the country peacefully or by force.
Ready said he takes offense at the term "neo-Nazi" but admits he identifies with the National Socialist Movement.
"We're not going to sit around and wait for the government anymore," he said. "This is what our founding fathers did."
Ready is a reflection of the anger over illegal immigration in Arizona. In April, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a controversial new immigration law that requires police officers to question a person's immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.
But Brewer hasn't done enough, Ready said, and he's not satisfied with President Barack Obama's decision to beef up federal security forces at the border.
Law enforcement officials said patrols such as Ready's could undercut the work of the thousands of officers on duty every day along the border, especially if the patrols try to carry out vigilante justice.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said there haven't been any incidents with the group as it patrols in his jurisdiction.
But Babeu is concerned because an untrained group acting without the authority of the law could cause "extreme problems" and put itself and others in danger.
"I'm not inviting them. And in fact, I'd rather they not come," Babeu said. "Especially those who espouse hatred or bigotry such as his."
Statesman.Com
