‘Posse’ Temporarily Barred From Anti-Illegal Immigration Activities

A judge Wednesday granted a request from the operators of Lindbergh Field to temporarily ban an anti-illegal immigration group called the Airport Posse from roaming the terminals in search of illegal immigrants boarding planes.

A hearing was set for Friday by Superior Court Judge William J. Howatt Jr. to determine whether the ban should be extended. Officials at the San Diego Unified Port District requested the ban for fear that clashes between posse members and members of opposition groups could disrupt the busy airport.

For a month posse members, wearing T-shirts with the logo U.S. Citizens Patrol, have patrolled the airport and occasionally prodded airline personnel to follow a Federal Aviation Administration rule that all passengers display a government-issued photo identification card.

On Tuesday, opposition groups, including the local Chicano Federation, held a news conference at the airport to denounce posse members as vigilantes and to vow to monitor their activities closely.

Port district spokesman Dan Wilkens said that officials are reluctant to restrict free speech but “don’t believe the airport is the place for the debate over immigration policies of our country.”