Donations to Cochise County Militia declining

images

The Cochise County Militia relies on donations to watch for illegal immigrants and smugglers. But in the downturn economy, donations are down too. Dan Frazier volunteers his time with the Cochise County Militia. Today he's moving one of the group's cameras that track smugglers. The evidence of smugglers is evident as they cross through the washes and thick brush: bottles of water, discarded clothes, and cans of food. "Somebody's got to do it. It isn't going to happen by itself," says group leader Bill Davis. It takes a lot more than just a hike through the desert to help protect the border. The group says they need money for food, gasoline and technology. "We're always hurting for 9 years. We've been hurting, we don't get grant money. We rely strictly on donations," Davis says. But as the economy has slumped, so have donations for the Cochise County Militia. Most of their donations come from out of state, but they're drying up. "It's impacted on equipment. I'm still going out on foot and contacting Border Patrol when I find something," Frazier says. They've looked at shutting down some of its operations for a few months to help balance the books. But illegal immigrants and drug smugglers will still cross the border, even when economic times are good or bad. "It's slowing it down, but it's not going to stop it. I don't care if I have to hitchhike down to the border," Davis says.