"I'm of the opinion what happened on 9/11 is just a beginning, unless we control our borders," he said. "We have no border security, and we're harassing citizens at airports to get on an airplane when there are terrorists walking across the border every night."

Zamora of the Border Patrol said agents have arrested a number of "persons of interest" but said Sias' statement is "an extreme exaggeration of the current situation along the southwest border."

Since a new fingerprint system was put in place last September, about 11,000, or 1 percent of the 1.1 million undocumented individuals apprehended nationwide, have been found to have a history of violent or drug crimes, Zamora said.

Zamora said the Border Patrol relies upon citizen calls to report suspicious activity. However, he said agents wouldn't tolerate situations such as people being held by civilians against their will.

"The community, they are our eyes and ears," Zamora said. "The border patrol does not condone groups that take the law into their own hands. . . .

"We hope there are no wrongdoings," he said. "This group has every constitutional right to express their concerns peacefully. We hope it is just that, a peaceful gathering."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com