Minutemen target illegals

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As a utility van pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot early yesterday in Herndon, George Taplin was perched nearby and aiming his camera at its license plate and the day laborers who swarmed the vehicle in search of work.

"The employers don't want to be filmed. They don't want to be seen," said Mr. Taplin, organizer of the Herndon chapter of the Minutemen, a grass-roots campaign to rid towns of illegal aliens by observing their employers and reporting them to employment, tax and immigration officials.

This was only the second time since the chapter formed about two weeks ago that members have staked out the convenience store on Alabama Drive at the intersection with Elden Street, where about 50 of the laborers, including illegal aliens, waited underneath a "No Trespassing" sign.

However, members said their presence has already had an effect.

"The population was up to 200 a day," said Bob Rudine, a 62-year-old Minuteman and retiree who lives a block away from the store.

Armed with whistles, video cameras and walkie-talkies, Mr. Rudine and about 14 other Minutemen -- including two children -- stood for an hour in the crisp morning air to watch vans and pickup trucks with ladders and other construction equipment circle the 7-Eleven.

Members have been instructed to avoid confrontations. Though none occurred yesterday, they said a contractor whose van was photographed Monday threatened to file a lawsuit.

Standing among the Minutemen were Town Council member Ann Null and members of Help Save Herndon.

"I consider this similar to a neighborhood watch," Mrs. Null said. "Citizens have come forward and generously offered their time. ... They're doing something very constructive."

The group patterns itself after similar ones along the Texas and Arizona borders with Mexico that are also grappling with the issue of illegal immigration.