[important updates below]

From the AP:

Three civilian volunteers patrolling the border for undocumented migrants and smugglers are being investigated after an immigrant told authorities he was held by them against his will...

Carol Capas, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, said the 26-year-old man from Obregon, Mexico, told agents he was physically restrained and forced to hold a shirt while his picture was taken and he was videotaped.

The shirt read: "Bryan Barton caught an illegal alien and all I got was this T-shirt."

Barton, who is from California, told agents that he and the other two volunteers waived the man over to them, offered the immigrant food and water, and gave him the T-shirt and money before the Border Patrol arrived.

Barton also also provided deputies with the videotape that purportedly shows the incident. Capas said investigators were reviewing the tape. The volunteers were not arrested or ticketed, she said...

Maybe they detained him, or maybe this was a setup. In either case, what Barton did is against the rules and the spirit of the MMP.

And, this appears to have been a cheap publicity stunt:

Bryan Barton, 25, is the youngest congressional candidate. His goal is to represent the third youngest congressional district in the United States, the 53rd district of California... In fact, Bryan Barton is documenting the process of running for congress on video for a reality television show tentatively titled Vote Barton.

UPDATE: From the Sierra Vista Herald's "Sheriff: Detention report much ado about nothing":

What could have been a serious incident of forced detention of an illegal immigrant Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a Minuteman Project volunteer making a fool of himself, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said...

Dever said the Mexican national, who was not identified, declined to press any charges.

During the interview process, investigators learned that one of the volunteers, who is running for Congress from California "acted like a clown," the sheriff said...

The clearly agitated sheriff said the Californian "is clearly trying to make a name for himself for political purposes and I'm not interested in helping him..."

UPDATE 2: It turns out that not only the MSM but I might have mischaracterized Bryan Barton's actions.

Jay Laurence of KFI 640AM Los Angeles is reporting from Arizona and just discussed this incident. He was able to view Barton's tape, and it doesn't sound like it was either in any way a possible case of restraint or even a publicity stunt. Apparently Barton was wearing the T-shirt with the slogan and he gave it to the alleged illegal alien then the latter was somehow videotaped with the shirt. Laurence also mentioned that Barton gave the alleged illegal alien Wheaties, milk, lunch meat and he gave him the $20 because he felt sorry for him. Barton also says that it was the alleged illegal alien who asked that Barton call the Border Patrol.

Laurence also mentioned another disturbing incident. Last night apparently a newspaper reporter from Arizona snuck up on a group of MM in the drug area and tried to provoke a confrontation. The volunteers didn't know who this person was, and one of the MM put his hand on his weapon. The newspaper reporter then apparently identified himself and said that if that happened again he'd write that he'd been drawn upon. Unfortunately, Laurence did not give the name of the reporter, only that he works for an Arizona newspaper.

If it becomes available I'll post a link to the audio of Laurence's report or the video of the incident.