Edge of Battle

don’t treat those we find as illegals. We’ve offered rides on our four-wheel ATVs in case anyone is injured or having trouble keeping up with the others. We offer water, some food, and first aid, just as we would if we encountered any other hikers on the trail.”

“What does the Border Patrol do after you give them a report on what you’ve found?”

“If they have a unit available, they’ll meet them down at the end of the trail and detain them,” Geitz said. “If they don’t, they get away.”

“Get away? Even if you tell the Border Patrol exactly where they are, they still get away?”

“It’s a matter of manpower, sir. If they don’t have a unit available, they get away.”

“What do the Watchdogs do in that case?”

“Nothing,” Geitz said. “We let them go too. We’ll report their direction of travel, whether or not they were picked up by anyone and a description of the vehicle, but we let them go. We don’t have the power to arrest or detain them unless we actually see them breaking the law. Even then, we tread very lightly.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, for example, if we actually observe and record a person crossing the border in this area, we know that’s an illegal act, because you are only legally allowed to cross the border at a border crossing point. But even if we positively identify the offender and have incontrovertible proof he broke the law, we don’t know all the ramifications of why he did what he did.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. What ‘ramifications’?”

“For example, Mr. O’Rourke, you can legally cross the border at other than a border crossing point if you feel your life is in danger, or if you are fleeing political persecution,” Geitz said. “A lot of times I know the migrants claim all that just to hope to avoid deportation; it may or may not be true. The point is, however, that the Watchdogs don’t make that call. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in our eyes, and we strictly enforce that. We simply observe and report—the rest is up to the authorities.”

“Reports say you try to make citizen arrests on them.”

“Absolutely not true,” Geitz insisted. “Although I know they’re breaking the law, and I have incontrovertible proof of it, the Watchdogs do not make arrests.”

“But you and your men are armed. I see plenty of shotguns and rifles, and almost everyone I’ve seen carries a sidearm. If you intercept someone out here in the dark carrying weapons, couldn’t that be considered an arrest?”

“First of all, sir, I must emphasize that everyone who carries a weapon must have the legal right to do so,” Geitz said. “We do not carry concealed weapons, and we do not brandish weapons—show, operate, or handle them as a means of intimidation or coercion—under any circumstances. We conduct firearms safety courses for everyone in our organization; everyone who carries a weapon is fully trained in gun safety and field procedures as well as marksmanship. Discharging a weapon except in self-defense is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate dismissal and being reported to the sheriff’s department.”

“‘Self-defense’? From animals…or human beings?”

“Anyone or anything that threatens us, Mr. O’Rourke, but mostly animals. Many of our patrols have encountered snakes and other predators out here. Most times using a firearm is not necessary—a bright light, a noisemaker, or simply leaving the area does the trick better than shooting a gun off in the dark that might endanger other patrols. Most folks that carry weapons carry only ‘snake loads’—ammunition containing small pellets instead of bullets that are good only at short range and probably wouldn’t kill a person, best suited for killing aggressive varmints.”

“Varmints are one thing, but what about some of the illegals you intercept?” O’Rourke pressed. “You have arrested illegals before, Herman—I’ve seen the reports. Have they gotten violent? Have they threatened you? Is that the real reason you and your members carry guns?”

“As I said, sir, no member of the American Watchdogs may discharge or even brandish a weapon except in self-defense,” Geitz said. “Whenever we make an intercept and a person unknown to us is carrying a weapon, we order him or her from the cover of darkness to drop the weapon. This is for our safety and the safety of our fellow citizens. That’s what some in the media have been calling ‘arrests.’”

“And then what?”

“If they drop their weapons, we inspect the weapons and search the individuals to make sure they don’t have any more weapons, and then we report the contact to the Border Patrol and sheriff’s department,” Geitz said. “We comply with whatever instructions we receive from the authorities, which is usually to stop what we’re doing and wait for help. If the migrants don’t comply with our orders, we don’t approach them, but we try to keep them in place until the authorities arrive.”

“In other words, you arrest them.”

“We make it clear to them that for our own safety, they will not be able to leave until it is safe for us to allow it,” Geitz said. “They don’t have to attack us first for us to be fearful for our lives. We won’t let a stranger with a machete just walk away from us with the thing still in his hand—that wouldn’t be too smart. If that’s what the media calls an ‘arrest,’ so be it.”

“What if they’re carrying guns?”

“We don’t allow them to take any firearms,” Geitz said firmly. “Absolutely not. That’s too dangerous for everyone involved. We confiscate all dangerous weapons and turn them over to the Border Patrol or the sheriff’s office. We’ve turned in hundreds of weapons, everything from swords to bombs to machine guns.”

“But what about their protection from animals and predators?”

“Mr. O’Rourke, I’m more concerned about the safety of my members. This is our home. An unidentified alleged illegal immigrant carrying a firearm or any other dangerous weapon near my men and women will not be tolerated. I may not have the legal right to take away another man’s freedom or weapon on public property, but I am legally permitted to defend myself if I feel my life or property is threatened, and I will do so. Without hesitation.”

“I commend your bravery and honesty, Commander Geitz.”

“Fortunately, we haven’t run into too many illegals with firearms,” Geitz said, “and the ones that do have them surrender them to us without incident. The sheriff tells me that if I take any kind of possession whatsoever—a backpack, knife, handgun, bazooka, or even a nuclear bomb—from anyone, that person has the right to swear out an arrest warrant for armed robbery and assault and have me thrown in jail. But so far no one has done that,” he added with a satisfied chuckle.

“But what if some human rights, civil liberty, or migrant advocacy group goes after you with an army of their attorneys?”

“I’m not too concerned with what an illegal or their lawyers might do to me,” Geitz said confidently. “Frankly, I’d welcome a day in court. We have nothing to hide here, and we’re doing a public service. We document every second of every intercept with both video and audio, beamed to our relay unit and digitally recorded before it’s uploaded to our Web site. We use GPS technology to pinpoint our location, so there’s no…” Geitz froze, listened in his headset, then said, “Time to get ready, Mr. O’Rourke. They’re almost here.”

Bob O’Rourke was quivering with excitement as he dropped the microphone mask and stowed his gear. “Now remember, our men have tiny blinking red identification lights on the back of our belts, so you should be able to follow us in the dark if you stay close,” Geitz said into his whisper mike. “In case you do get separated, all you have to do is stay put, wherever you are, and wait for us to come back for you.” He pulled several plastic tubes from a utility belt pouch, bent them almost in half, shook them vigorously, then handed them to both O’Rourke and Wayne. “Put these around your neck. They’re identification ChemLites.”

“Mine’s not working.”

“You can’t see the light unless you’re wearing night vision goggles, as all of the Watchdogs are,” Geitz said. “But we can see you as clearly as if you were carrying a flashlight.”

O’Rourke held his ChemLite up to his face as if looking closer would allow him to see the light, but he couldn’t see a thing in the darkness. He could hear the sounds of men getting ready to move all around him, and he could barely contain himself. “Damn,” he muttered, “now I have to take a piss.”

“It happens all the time—the excitement of the hunt,” Geitz said gleefully, like a kid getting ready to get on the rope swing for the first time. “You have to hold it until we make the intercept and take control of the targets. Don’t be embarrassed to piss in your pants if it gets too uncomfortable—you wouldn’t be the first one to do it, I guarantee it. It won’t be long now—they’re coming right at us.” The thought of any of these rough, tough