Chris Simcox
Encyclopedia
Chris Simcox is the American
co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
(MCDC) and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten
teacher at the Wildwood School
in Los Angeles
, California
, where he taught for thirteen years.
In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper
, the Tombstone
Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States
's border with Mexico
.
He founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol
.
Simcox's practice of reporting illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. When the Civil Homeland Defense was first formed, Simcox's opponents claimed that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claimed at that time that these detentions were justified under a "citizen's arrest
" policy. Since the inception of the MCDC, however, their "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP) states that "Minutemen Observe, Report, Record, and Direct Border Patrol or other appropriate emergency or law enforcement agencies to suspected Illegal Aliens or Illegal Activities."
In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist
to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilante
s, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone.
Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent
documentary
Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
. Simcox also appeared in a 2006 documentary by Joseph Matthew and Dan DeVivo called "Crossing Arizona," and a 2007 documentary by Chris Burgard called "Border". He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool
.
On April 21, 2006, Simcox sent a message to President George W. Bush
asking him to send National Guard
troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property.
Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honoraria and fees received for speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a film that will soon go into production.
Simcox announced he was stepping down from MCDC to challenge in the 2010 Republican
primary
the renomination of U.S. Senator John McCain
of Arizona, the party's 2008 presidential nominee. Former U.S. Congressman J. D. Hayworth
officially launched his bid on February 15, 2010, in Phoenix. His announcement led Simcox to drop his campaign and endorse Hayworth, saying that he wanted to present a united conservative front. On his campaign website Simcox announces that he steps down because "This race had quickly become bigger than what our family could manage" and "When JD Hayworth entered the race he was financially unable to continue. "
On April 16, 2010, Simcox's wife was granted an order of protection after she alleged that Simcox "brandished a gun and threatened to shoot her, their children and any police officers who tried to protect them."
Bounty Hunter Stacey O'Connell forced Chris Simcox into being served the Order of Protection after pursuing him for 30 days. Chris Simcox arrived at a Maricopa County Courthouse to have himself served on July 6, 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is a volunteer group headed by Chris Simcox and dedicated to preventing illegal crossings of the United States border. Arguing that the government is insufficiently concerned with securing the U.S. border, they have organized several state chapters, with the...
(MCDC) and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
teacher at the Wildwood School
Wildwood School
Wildwood School is an independent K-12 school located in Los Angeles. Wildwood was founded as an elementary school in 1971, by a group of parents led by a young lawyer named Belle Mason. The secondary campus opened in 2000. Wildwood School is dedicated to focusing on teaching independent learning...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he taught for thirteen years.
In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's border with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
He founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
.
Simcox's practice of reporting illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. When the Civil Homeland Defense was first formed, Simcox's opponents claimed that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claimed at that time that these detentions were justified under a "citizen's arrest
Citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval Britain and the English common law, in which sheriffs encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.Despite the...
" policy. Since the inception of the MCDC, however, their "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP) states that "Minutemen Observe, Report, Record, and Direct Border Patrol or other appropriate emergency or law enforcement agencies to suspected Illegal Aliens or Illegal Activities."
In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist
Jim Gilchrist
James "Jim" Walter Gilchrist, Jr. is the American co-founder and president of the Minuteman Project, an activist group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration across the United States's southern border.-Early life:...
to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
s, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone.
Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary is an 2005 Canadian documentary film.The film was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and written and directed by Arturo Perez Torres....
. Simcox also appeared in a 2006 documentary by Joseph Matthew and Dan DeVivo called "Crossing Arizona," and a 2007 documentary by Chris Burgard called "Border". He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool is a weekly talk radio show founded by James Edwards, and syndicated by Liberty News Radio Network and Accent Radio Network in the United States...
.
On April 21, 2006, Simcox sent a message to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
asking him to send National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property.
Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honoraria and fees received for speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a film that will soon go into production.
Simcox announced he was stepping down from MCDC to challenge in the 2010 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
the renomination of U.S. Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
of Arizona, the party's 2008 presidential nominee. Former U.S. Congressman J. D. Hayworth
J. D. Hayworth
John David Hayworth, Jr. , usually known as J. D. Hayworth, is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007 from Arizona's 5th congressional district...
officially launched his bid on February 15, 2010, in Phoenix. His announcement led Simcox to drop his campaign and endorse Hayworth, saying that he wanted to present a united conservative front. On his campaign website Simcox announces that he steps down because "This race had quickly become bigger than what our family could manage" and "When JD Hayworth entered the race he was financially unable to continue. "
On April 16, 2010, Simcox's wife was granted an order of protection after she alleged that Simcox "brandished a gun and threatened to shoot her, their children and any police officers who tried to protect them."
Bounty Hunter Stacey O'Connell forced Chris Simcox into being served the Order of Protection after pursuing him for 30 days. Chris Simcox arrived at a Maricopa County Courthouse to have himself served on July 6, 2010.