US activists aid border arrests

Around 200 volunteers are said to be taking part in the patrols

Activists in the US state of Arizona say they have helped arrest 19 illegal immigrants since beginning their own border patrols three days ago.

The month-long Minuteman project with at least 200 volunteers is to highlight what they see as US government failures over illegal immigration from Mexico.

Migrants have said the patrols will not deter them crossing into the US.

A US Border Patrol spokesman said the volunteers were unwittingly tripping sensors that alert agents to intruders.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jose Maheda said agents had been forced to respond to false alarms in the last few days.

"Every sensor has to be addressed. It's taken away from our normal operations," he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Project officials said 18 migrants were spotted on Saturday as the volunteers were familiarising themselves with the area before the official start of patrols on Monday.

Border Patrol spokesman Andy Adame confirmed 18 people were arrested when agents arrived.

A Guatemalan migrant was also detained after he wandered into an activists' camp at a Bible college in Palominas, dehydrated after walking over the border.

Strained relations

Some 200 volunteers were expected to have registered for the start of regular patrols on Monday, which will fan out across 23 miles (40km) of the San Pedro Valley.

Although some are armed, organisers say their role is to report any border violations to the US authorities rather than tackle the migrants themselves.

The Minuteman project has attracted protesters

"You observe them, report them and get out of the way," project spokesman Mike McGarry was quoted as saying.

Critics say the patrols could spark vigilante violence.

More than 500,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested in Arizona last year.

The Minuteman Project has already strained international relations between Washington and its southern neighbour.

Washington accuses Mexico of not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal immigrants from across Latin America into the US, while Mexican officials condemn vigilante attacks near the border.

President George W Bush has so far delayed the implementation of plans announced in 2004 for a guest-worker scheme which would legalise the presence of some illegal immigrants.