Here's an opinion from someone who actually knows the Southwest border:

Author and retired U.S. Border Patrol anti-smuggling Special Agent John W. Slagle announced his complete support of the Minuteman Project in an Op/Ed in Michnews.com on March 27.
Slagle writes:

“Mr. Bush remains "clueless" concerning Vigilantes and vigilant law abiding citizens who assist authorities . . .”
“I never feared armed citizens that complied with the law. In fact in many cases, they were an asset to the community long before the Minuteman Project reporting vehicles and groups.”

Slagle began speaking out on the illegal immigration disaster in December, 2003, in a self-published e-book, Illegal Entries which I reviewed for VDARE.com. Slagle has dedicated his retirement to the mission of trying to bring some sanity to the so-called immigration policy "debate," in the hope that the Bush Administration will somehow face the reality that “amnesty” always means even MORE illegal aliens.
The veteran Special Agent also shared some of his personal vintage photos of unabated illegal alien smuggling (in 1987 and 1988) even after the 1986 IRCA Amnesty.
Imagine that!! . . . Why would illegal aliens continue to come to the United States after Congress "solved" the illegal immigration problem in 1986?