Will Minuteman members act like tourists — or vigilantes?

TOMBSTONE, Ariz. — David Weik is of a split mind when it comes to a project kicking off next Friday that calls for armed civilian volunteers to watch for illegal border crossings and report them to federal officials.

While he thinks the Minuteman Project could help ease the illegal traffic that plagues southern Arizona, he also worries volunteers lacking law enforcement training wouldn't know what to do if fired upon by smugglers bringing illegal immigrants or drugs through the area.

"That could provoke something even worse," said Weik.

He is not alone in his fears.

Project organizers say 800 to 1,000 volunteers will be coming Friday to rally in this one-time silver-mining town, which was made notorious by Wyatt Earp's 30-second gunfight with the Clantons and McLaurys.

They will then fan out across 23 miles of the San Pedro Valley — each group in view of another — to watch the border for the entire month and report sightings of illegal activity to Border Patrol agents.

Arizona has been the focal point for illegal entries from Mexico for years, since Border Patrol crackdowns in California and Texas took hold. Cochise County, which includes Tombstone, has been among the most active smuggling corridors and has previously attracted several civilian patrol operations.

Organizers believe their efforts, with volunteers from across the country recruited over the Internet, will finally drive home the point to the American public that the porous southern border is vulnerable to infiltration by illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and potential terrorists.

Minuteman field operations director Chris Simcox described the project as "the nation's largest neighborhood watch group." It's also a political protest on behalf of citizens frustrated over government inability to end illegal activity despite their "begging, pleading and demanding," he said.

"This is not a call to arms," added Jim Gilchrist, a retired CPA from Aliso Viejo, Calif., who organized the project. "This is not a war."

Gilchrist said some volunteers will pack handguns, allowed under Arizona law, but that observers are being instructed to avoid confrontation, even if shot at.

Still, authorities, Mexican officials and others are worried about the potential for violence.

Some are concerned both about the people the project may attract — at least one white supremacist group has mentioned the project on its Web site — and about smugglers who are known to attack even Border Patrol agents and other law officers.