ALONG THE BORDER - As more U.S. citizens arrive daily to take up positions overlooking the border with Mexico, fears that gun-toting racists in the Minuteman Project would be confronting illegal border crossers were diminishing Sunday.

Scores of volunteers from across the nation were being deployed in an orderly fashion starting Sunday morning, clustered in groups of four or five facing the strands of barbed wire that mark the border. The groups were spaced within sight of one another along Border Road, east of Naco.

While dozens of demonstrators with placards and flags lined up across Naco Highway from the U.S. Border Patrol station, Minuteman Project organizer Chris Simcox led a caravan of reporters, photographers and project volunteers from the parking lot of the Palominas Trading Post past the demonstrators and down along the border.

After a bumpy, dusty 10-mile ride, Simcox pulled up and media representatives piled out of their vehicles to interview people manning the outposts.

"We're building the line," Simcox announced to the media, as he made a U-turn to leave the area.

A Border Patrol helicopter flew overhead, adding to the drama of yet another media event connected with the citizens' rally to protect the border.

For Juan Carlos, a reporter and cameraman with Azteca 54 KAZA-TV, the drive over from Los Angeles was worth it. Seeing the event first-hand was essential.

"We came to tell the truth," Carlos said. "It's peaceful." What had he learned during the past week?

"I learned I definitely wouldn't cross the border here," Carlos said with a smile.

Looking at the volunteers across the road, Carlos said: "They're protecting the border. I've seen no evidence of racism."

The volunteers, many of them retirees, were also quick to assert their lack of racism.

"We have nothing against any races," said Dottie Dalton, 66, from Muriettta, Calif. "We're the neighborhood watch."

Wearing a badge she's been selling for $3 that identifies the wearer as an "Undocumented Border Patrol Agent," Dalton said she's been concerned about illegal immigration from Mexico for years.

She plans to follow up her service with the Minuteman Project by demonstrating at three Home Depot stores in Southern California.

"They encourage illegal immigration," she said.

Don and Alphie Schenck, from Corona, Calif., were also there to not only protect the border but to help focus national attention on the issue of illegal immigration through Arizona.

A retired Orange County, Calif., postal worker, Don Schenck declared: "We're not vigilantes."

The Schencks may stay a few days, doing what they can. They didn't really expect to encounter anyone walking across the desert stretching off to the horizon when they chose the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift. They also didn't expect to get shot at. They were not armed.

"At least we can say we did it," Schenck said. Nearby, Dan Russell of San Diego thought the Minuteman Project had already been successful in focusing national attention on the border problem.

The former San Diego firefighter wore a "Savage Nation" ballcap.

Radio talk show host Michael Savage has long advocated strong measures to stop illegal immigration and has encouraged listeners to join the Minuteman Project.

Russell was extremely critical of President George W. Bush and the Republican Party, although he voted for Bush in 2000. In 2004 he voted for the Constitution Party.

He still gets phone calls for donations to the Republican Party.

"They're not going to get a dime from me until Congress holds Bush's feet to the fire," Russell said. "The buck stops at the White House."

Like the others at his outpost, Russell is paying his own expenses and is staying at Miracle Valley Bible College, where dorm space is only $5 a night.

A number of volunteers have also parked recreational vehicles at the college, where entry was tightly controlled Sunday morning.

No news media were allowed in. A Herald/Review reporter was referred to someone named Linda Chase in area code 760, which includes Barstow, Calif. A call to Chase was not returned by press deadline Sunday afternoon.

More than 100 volunteers were staying at the Bible College, according to volunteer Ken Hofstra of Green Valley. Some organizational meetings have also been held there, he said.

As evidence that the volunteers were not the monsters some people had portrayed them to be, Hofstra pointed out that they had helped a dehydrated Guatemalan who had wandered onto the campus around midnight Friday.

The only injury to anyone was to a volunteer who fell into a hole at the college Saturday night and dislocated a shoulder.

'Absolutely flawless'

Sunday's staging area for volunteers was the Palominas Trading Post.

Wearing caps and T-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as "I defended the U.S. border," "America is full," and "Let our Border Patrol do their job," men and women of various ages gathered to receive instructions for the afternoon and evening shift - and to hear Simcox brief reporters from across the U.S.

"It's been absolutely flawless," Simcox told a Herald/Review reporter as he walked from his dusty pickup truck to a cluster of volunteers and reporters.

Simcox said project volunteers had assisted in the apprehension of 118 illegal immigrants. Fourteen were picked up by the Border Patrol near the Huachuca Mountains, 18 at Hereford and the rest in the Naco area.

Andy Adame, public information officer for the Border Patrol, confirmed that 118 apprehensions resulted from 54 calls received since Thursday.

Adame said he had no way of telling whether Minuteman Project volunteers made the calls, however.

Adame also confirmed that there were no problems reported but pointed out that the volunteers were just getting out into the field.

"They're out there, tripping our sensors, Adame told the Herald/Review.

More than 480 volunteers had shown up by Sunday morning and "Now the folks are flocking in," Simcox said, after national news coverage showed the nature and scope of the operation.

"This is exactly what we advertised it to be," Simcox said.

Ten miles of border was being watched by volunteers near the Huachuca Mountains, Simcox said, and 10 miles near Naco. As more volunteers arrive for the month-long operation, more miles will be covered.

In addition to the Minuteman Project's static observation posts, the Border Patrol has beefed up its patrols in the area.

"I've never seen so much Border Patrol out there," Simcox said. "Crossings have dropped dramatically. The drop started three weeks ago."

Because of the decrease in illegal crossings in Cochise County, Simcox suggested that the Border Patrol redeploy to other areas.

"We hold the line here," Simcox said.

Some volunteers carried sidearms, including Donald Sullivan, of North Carolina.

Standing next to the North Carolina state flag, Sullivan said he heard about the Minuteman Project through "First Freedom" an Alabama newspaper which he subscribes to.

"Citizens need to do their duty," Sullivan said. "Illegal immigration is unregulated. We've become discriminatory against our own people."

Retired after 23 years in the Army and Air Force, Sullivan said he planned to stay until April 9.

"The executive branch (of federal government) is allowing this to go on," Sullivan said.

Although he thought the event had attracted substantial publicity, Sullivan did not think Congress or the White House would pay attention to it.

'Business as usual'

For the Cochise County Sheriff's Department, the weekend was "business as usual," according to department public information officer Carol Capas.

"We haven't had any serious reports," Capas said Sunday afternoon.

The department has been prepared for any eventuality and the county Board of Supervisors last Tuesday approved spending up to $100,000 from the general fund contingency to cover costs connected with the event, such as overtime pay.

But no extra personnel were on duty Sunday, Capas said.

A special information center was set up in the sheriff's office to handle calls connected with the Minuteman Project, but most of the roughly two dozen calls came in Friday from citizens concerned about possible violence, Capas said.

"Sheriff Dever said the people (volunteers) he talked to were friendly," Capas said.

All affected county departments, such as Planning and Zoning and Highways and Floodplain, were also supposed to be on alert during the weekend. But a call to the number given for emergency calls went unanswered Sunday.

HERALD/REVIEW reporter Michael Sullivan can be reached at 515-4682 or michael.sullivan@herald-review.com.