Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Inc.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Inc. is an organization aggressively opposed to illegal immigration in the U.S.

It was founded and is run by Chris Simcox, the co-founder of the Minuteman Project with Jim Gilchrist.

Simcox owns the Tombstone Tumbleweed newspaper and is an Arizona resident from California.

In 2005, Gary Cole, the operations manager for the MCDC, said the group was awaiting non-profit status.

Relationship with other groups
The MCDC was formed in 2005 when Minuteman Project co-founder Chis Simcox split from co-founder Jim Gilchrist, who continued to run the Project. The two men claim to maintain an amicable relationship (see below).

In 2005, Gary Cole, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Operations Manager, said the group was trying to bring outside groups into the organization but that some had no interest in joining. Cole said their guidelines discouraged volunteers from confronting or chasing immigrants and ban them from carrying rifles or shotguns in states that allow firearms to be freely carried. Cole said some groups disagree with the guidelines.

"The different wannabees want different things," Cole said. "You have different groups that want to go out and be far more militaristic than we are. Outside listening points, sniping points ... trip wires, all sorts of things. They feel we are way too politically correct."

New Mexico Minutemen
The New Mexico Minutemen of Farmington, N.M. were sanctioned by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps as of 2005. Mike Gaddy, who was active in the group, blamed the infighting between the groups on a clash of egos over the "glamour" the group had received in 2005 and cited the political ambitions of some leaders as the root cause. Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist was considering a bid for Congress at the time.

Relationship with Allen Keyes
In July 2004 the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that both Gilchrist and Simcox were being represented by a Washington, D.C.-based spokeswoman who also worked for Alan Keyes.

In a statement on the groups website made in 2006 following coverage in the Washington Times of a controversy of the Minuteman Project's finances, Jim Gilchrist distanced himself from Simcox and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps but still praised his work:

The Minuteman Project is NOT the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC).

Jim Gilchrist is the only founder of the Minuteman Project, Inc. The article in the Washington Times on July 20, 2006 By Jerry Seper can be very confusing.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps does not represent all the Minutemen throughout the United States nor do they represent the Minuteman Project, Inc. who's only founder is Jim Gilchrist. The Minuteman Project, Inc. does not have any business dealing with, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, whose President is Chris Simcox... [emphasis added]

Because of the nature of the Illegal alien invasion Jim Gilchrist has created the Minuteman Project, Inc. as a stand alone independent organization. He has employed an independent C.P.A. accounting firm to keep his organization in compliance. '''While The Minuteman Project, Inc. and Mr. Jim Gilchrist recognize the work of Chris Simcox and his Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, there is no business relationship with either Chris Simcox or his organization. The Minuteman Project, Inc., and Mr. Jim Gilchrist will always applaud the work of any patriot who believes in the sovereignty and security of the United States of America.''' The Minuteman Project, Inc. is directed solely by Mr. Jim Gilchrist, his Board of Directors, and no one else. [emphasis added]

Related SourceWatch resources

 * Minuteman Project
 * Jim Gilchrist
 * Chris Simcox
 * Immigration and Labor Policy (Congresspedia portal)

Alan Keyes and the MCDC

 * David Holthouse, "Ruckus on the Right: Angry former supporters of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps are questioning group founder Chris Simcox's accounting," the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, 2006.
 * "O bliss o glee o joy for all my former woes a thousand times repaid," Sisyphus Shrugged (blog), July 20, 2006.
 * Kyle Mantyla, "An Extremely Odd Alliance," People for the American Way (blog), August 15, 2007.
 * "Why Declaration Alliance and Alan Keyes Needed the Minutemen," The Pondering American (blog), August 16, 2006.
 * Jerry Seper, "Minutemen Not Watching Over Funds," Washington Times, July 20, 2006. Content pasted into blog entry.
 * Jerry Seper, "Minutemen skeptical of ties with Keyes project," Washington Times, July 20, 2006. Content pasted into blog entry.
 * Jerry Seper, "Minuteman committee aids GOP," Washington Times, October 16, 2006. Content pasted into a Sierra Times message board.
 * Bill Berkowitz, "Alan Keyes & the Minuteman Money Mystery," Z Magazine Online, November 2006.
 * Ezra Kautz, "More Trouble with Minuteman Finances: Keyes Group Overseeing Vigilantes Suspended," People for the American Way (blog), December 5, 2006.
 * Ezra Kautz, "Well-Funded Minuteman PAC Light on Contributions to Candidates," People for the American Way (blog), June 8, 2007.
 * Jerry Seper, "Minuteman PAC raised $300,000," Washington Times, June 6, 2007. Internet Archive capture on June 8, 2007.