Immigrant Agency Report: American Patrol Report
In these brief reports, we responded to questions about the migration perspectives of an assigned im/migrant agency or organization, based on Internet research.
A. Title of agency or organization? American Patrol Report
B. Where is home base (city/state/country)? Sierra Vista, AZ
C. Date founded? 2002
D. Names of key spokespersons/officers: Glenn Spencer
E. What/who is key constituency or audience? Key audience seems to be white males. Key constituency seems to be those who wish to stop people from Mexico from immigrating because they fear the Mexicans will then allegedly take over the U.S. with a culture of law-breaking and drug-smuggling.
F. What are the agency’s main activities? Perpetuating anti-immigrant propaganda.
G. Mission statement? Their stated mission is “Citizenship/Sovereignty/Law”
H. What are the key im/migration issues of concern to this agency? Illigal immigrants and their rights, drug smuggling, crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
I. What appears to be the most common informational basis for statements issued, press releases, reports, etc.? Cites ‘Southland Web Services’ as being responsible for most news updates on the page that are not done by Glenn Spencer. It is said on the APR website that this company is “….a private news research agency in the Los Angeles area that maintains news-related websites. Subscribers such as the AP do not pre-approve all the news material Southland Web Services arbitrarily posts.”
J. Any publications? (what types, sample titles; if online, give links) No, but they have a 4-part video available. The title is: “Immigration: Threatening the Bonds of our Union.”
K. Give at least one citation of this agency in a newspaper article (preferably an Arizona newspaper). Provide a quote from the article that gives a good idea of this agency’s perspective on im/migration. Note: not a quote from agency’s own web site.
Los Angeles Daily News article, published April 7, 2005. Written by Beth Barrett. Title: Fewer Slip Past Border: U.S. officials credit Mexican troops, not American Minutemen volunteers. This article is about the Minutemen volunteer patrol going on in the deserts of southern Arizona, and how it has brought the attention of police and military on both sides of the border. They say that this is why there has been a sharp decline in illegal immigration since they got there, it’s not because of anything the Minutemen are doing. Glenn Spencer is quoted as saying “We saw Mexican military working on the road in one of these hot spots. There is a tremendous presence on Border Road that we’ve never seen before.” The article cites Spencer as being an ‘anti-immigrant activist,’ opposing all laws that give illegal immigrants rights or financial assistance. They also say he founded a nonprofit border patrol (American Patrol).
L. Other issues of interest? None that I can see.
M. Is the agency noticeably pro or con immigration? (you may need to determine this from readings its position papers, press releases, news reports, etc) Very con-immigration.
N. Web site? Give URL: www.americanpatrol.com