“You don’t lock your doors because you hate what’s outside, but because you love what’s inside,” Mark McConnell, a volunteer for Arizona Border Recon.
A group of vets and other concerned citizens who call themselves “Arizona Border Recon” meet periodically for a week at a time to patrol a section of the Arizona/Mexico border. Although they have been doing this for five years now, they are newly concerned about the number of illegals crossing the border who are not Mexican or from other Central American countries – but from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. They are concerned that terrorists are using our porous southern border to illegally enter the United States.
“There’s Palestinians, Afghans, Syrians trying to get in. We are trying to stop everything and anything from coming across,” said Tim Foley, the field operations director of Arizona Border Recon.
Many of the members used to serve in the United States military. All, however, are worried about the possibility of a terrorist coming to the United States through the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We have the war on drugs and the war on terror and it seems that they are combining right here on the border,” said Foley. “We’re not a militia, we’re not a three percent group, we do not advocate overthrowing the government . . . we are an extra set of eyes and ears for Border Patrol.”
Every few months, the group meets to patrol the Arizona, Mexico border for seven days and seven nights. They set up a six to nine mile perimeter, in order to push those attempting to come across illegally, into territory with a higher Border Patrol presence.
“When your friends come to your home, they come to your front door, not your back window,” said Foley.
These veterans believe patrolling the border is another way they can continue to fight for their country.
Border patrol discourages citizen groups from performing border surveillance, but advise that citizens report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol.
More information about Arizona Border Recon:
Stella's Place 