By Michelle Delio

02:00 AM Nov. 22, 2002 PT

A group of tech-savvy ranchers in Arizona are using military technology to monitor and apprehend illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into the United States.

Members of the group have spiked their land with thousands of motion sensors. They also use infrared tracking devices, global positioning systems, night vision goggles, radar and other gear to survey movement near the border.

The ranchers, members of an organization called the American Border Patrol, said their goal is to use technology to inform the public about the "slow invasion" they claim is happening at the southwest border.

But not everyone agrees the group is simply a source of information.

The governor of the Mexican state of Sonora said in a statement on Wednesday that he will ask the U.S. government to stop "vigilante groups who are hunting" for immigrants along the border.

Gov. Armando Lopez Nogales intends to make his request during the annual meeting of the Arizona-Sonora Commission on Friday.

American Border Patrol members confirm they actively guard the border and detain suspected illegal immigrants, but deny they are vigilantes.

"I'm not going to argue about immigration law," Glenn Spencer, executive director of the American Border Patrol, said. "You want to change the laws, go talk to the folks in Washington. As it stands now, we are upholding the law."

The ranchers claim that the U.S. Border Patrol, the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, is unable to staunch the flow of people crossing the border illegally.

Border agents use some of the same technology the ranchers do, but some ABP members believe agents haven't been taught how to use the technology.

"Members have told me they have communicated with border patrol agents who don't understand GPS coordinates," Spencer said. "Or agents who can't read their maps at night because it's dark. You'd think they'd be issued flashlights. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad."

The U.S. Border Patrol branch in Tucson, Arizona, did not reply to requests for comment.

ABP members use motion sensors to track immigrants' movements. The information gathered by the sensors is sent to computers that analyze the signal and determine whether an animal, human or vehicle caused the disturbance. That data is then passed on to receivers monitored by ABP members.

ABP member Roger Barnett has $30,000 worth of sensors on his land and receivers in his ranch house and trucks. The ranch receiver produces a continuous printout of sensor hits.

"Roger can generally tell from the location of the sensor if a given hit is good or not," Spencer said. "When I was there two weeks ago, two hits led to the discovery of 40 illegal aliens."

When human presence is detected by one of the devices, the ranchers said they attempt to apprehend illegal immigrants and turn them over to the U.S. Border Patrol.

ABP members are further aided by portable battlefield radar units once used by Special Forces reconnaissance teams to protect their camps.

A few members have infrared imaging systems in their vehicles. These systems register the presence of body heat and allow users to easily locate a living being in total darkness.

Spencer said he is opening a test center for security technology, and welcomes any company that wants to conduct field trials of its products. The patrol documents their operations on a website.

When suspected illegal border crossers are found, patrol members typically e-mail the GPS coordinates (longitude and latitude) of their location to Spencer, as well as digital pictures or videos. The information is then uploaded to the group's website.

Spencer said a new website, to launch in February, will automatically produce and update maps from the e-mailed reports.

Visitors to the site will see real-time tracking information on people who are attempting to cross the border. Flashing icons will indicate the current "hot spots" where visitors can click to zoom in and watch live video feeds of the patrol's activities.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2002