Organizational History

The Minutemen American Defense is a nativist organization dedicated to patrolling the U.S.-Canadian border “against unlawful and unauthorized entry of all individuals, contraband, and foreign military."[1] Members state that illegal immigrants, more specifically Mexican immigrants, exhaust social services such as hospitals and schools and are beginning to outnumber “real Americans.”  They go so far as to claim on their website that al Qaeda is recruiting Hispanic gang members, from groups like MS-13, in order to target and destroy U.S. interests.  Based in Everett, Washington, the group is led by Shawna Forde, a former rock group promoter and spokeswoman for Jim Gilchrist’s Minutemen Civil Defense Corps (MCDC).[2]

The Minutemen American Defense group was created in 2006 when Forde created a splinter group in response to her frustration with the more passive nature of Gilchrist’s MCDC.  She even attempted to break into local politics in 2006 by promoting a ballot initiative to cut off state assistance to undocumented immigrants, and then one year later failed to obtain a city council position on an anti-immigration platform, even though she received thousands of votes. In 2007, she spoke at the Illegal Immigration Summit in Everett along with Minuteman Project leader, Jim Gilchrist.  Forde’s speech included a description of her political “awakening,” “I was in the mall one day and, hey- nobody's speaking English. I realized we had a serious problem. I just got tired of pushing one for English. I decided to do something about it.”[3]

In 2009, Shawna Forde was arrested with two other group members for the alleged killing of two people in Arizona.  In late February 2011, Forde received the death sentence for the murder of the two border residents; the harsh sentence was likely meant as a message to other anti-immigration groups to avoid assault and harassment of illegal immigrants.[4] Since her arrest, information on MAD group activity has all but disappeared.  The official status of the group is unknown, although it is likely to have disbanded. 

Recruitment

MAD Operations Director, Jason Eugene “Gunny” Bush, was affiliated with the Aryan Nations group, and Forde stated her intention to recruit from the neo-Nazi group.  MAD members also produced and passed fliers out to passersby in the neighboring community in order to bolster support and recruit for their organization.  Fliers included statements such as “The Great Gringo awakens from siesta.”[3]

Tactics

The majority of group activities were similar to those of other anti-immigrant border groups; passing out fliers to recruit new members, and patrolling the border and searching for unauthorized immigrant travel into the U.S. MAD is more well-known for being linked to the murder of Raul Flores and his daughter, Brisenia in late May 2009 in Arivaca, AZ.  Founder, Shawna Forde, MAD Operations Director, Jason Eugene “Gunny” Bush, and fellow member, Albert Robert Gaxiola, invaded the Flores home with the stated intention of stealing money in order to fund the group’s actvities.  The three activisits had heard Flores was a narcotics trafficker, and believed he might have had large amounts of money on the premises.  Police officials believe the murder was planned before the attack, and all suspects were charged with first-degree murder, assault, and burglary.

Gallery

References

1. Southern Poverty Law Center. (2008, Spring). The Nativists. Intelligence Report, 129. Retrieved from [1]
2. Graman, K. (2006, December 6). Minutemen press immigration ordinance. The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved from [2]
3. Southern Poverty Law Center. (2008, Spring). The Nativists. Intelligence Report, 129. Retrieved from [3]
4. Medrano, L. (2001, February 23). Arizona justice: Shawna Forde death sentence a rebuke to vigilantes. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from [4]
5. Ong, A. (n.d.). Shawna Forde. Retrieved from [5]