Jim Gilchrist
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Walter Gilchrist, Jr. (born January 13, 1949) 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.
where he completed high school as he worked at a car wash. His employer later described him as, “…a good worker. Jim always had a smile, even when he didn’t have a lot to smile about.” After high school Gilchrist enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
.
Jim entered in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War
. He was stationed at a site that is one hundred miles North of Da Nang
, which was just below the Demilitarized Zone
. He spent thirteen months in Vietnam, and saw about one hundred battles. Jim mostly saw assault duty during his tour. Gilchrist was struck with a bullet on the battlefield, which later earned him the Purple Heart
. Today he keeps photos of his comrades and outposts to remind him of his experiences in the Vietnam War. His time in Vietnam has shaped the way that he views war. He says, “I’d be very, very cautious about sending any American soldiers into any war environment. I’d be very insistent upon adequate cover.”
Gilchrist holds a B.A.
in newspaper journalism from the University of Rhode Island
, a B.S.
in business administration from California State Polytechnic University, and an MBA
in taxation from Golden Gate University
. He is a former newspaper reporter and a retired California CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
He currently resides in Aliso Viejo, California
with his wife, Sandy.
are widely recognized as the founders of the Minuteman Project. They founded the organization on October 1, 2004. The two staged a month long border watch project in April 2005 and that event catapulted the Minuteman movement into the national spotlight. Gilchrist chose to locate in Arizona for the Project, because there was a disproportionately large number of illegal immigrants crossing in that state.
candidate for the United States House of Representatives
representing California's 48th congressional district
to replace Republican
Christopher Cox, who resigned to become Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
In the low-turnout open primary
for Cox's seat held on October 4, 2005, Gilchrist finished behind two Republicans but ahead of all other candidates, including Democrats. He received 14.8% of the vote (a total of 13,423 votes). He was the only one running under his party, and therefore automatically advanced into the run-off.
Gilchrist lost to Republican state Senator John Campbell in the December 6 general election, receiving 25.5% (26,507) of the vote. Campbell received 44.4% (46,184), Steve Young (Democrat) 27.8% (28,853), Bea Tiritilli (Green) 1.4% (1,430), Bruce Cohen (Libertarian) 0.9% (974).
Gilchrist has provided conservative opinions on various issues but emphasized that immigration and the border is the primary issue from which the others flow.
He has stated that he would consider a presidential run in 2008 with the Constitution Party
, should the two major parties offer candidates with no proactive history on the issue of illegal immigration. He stated "If John McCain
enters the race for president I will definitely run. John McCain should have forfeited his right to run for president on the Republican Party the moment he put his name on immigration legislation with Sen. Ted Kennedy
." However, McCain did enter the race, but Gilchrist later withdrew his intention to run, citing concerns about viability in third parties.
.
The book tries to persuade readers that illegal immigration
is a dangerous and costly problem that needs an immediate policy solution. Gilchrist and Corsi claim that there is a population of 30 million illegal immigrants in the United States. The preface states, “This is an invasion, not a visit by neighbors asking for a cup of sugar.”
The invasion theme is seen throughout the book. Gilchrist and Corsi repeatedly make the claim that it is not just workers and families that come across the border, but criminals who also enter the country illegally. The authors state that 10-20% of people that enter the country illegally are criminals, and 10% will become criminals once they arrive in the U.S.
Additionally, Gilchrist believes that the open borders would create a welfare state, due to his belief that many of the immigrants take advantage of social benefits in America. The authors say that the number of undereducated illegal immigrants could outnumber the middle class. They discuss “anchor babies”, which is the large population of children born on U.S. soil to illegal immigrants. Since they are born in the United States, then they are American citizens by default. When the anchor babies are twenty-one years old, then they are able to sponsor their parents in the citizenship process.
The book also provides information about the Minutemen Project. It says that the goal of the group is to provide awareness of the disregard by politicians of the “illegal immigration crisis” and to prove that the mere presence of a person at the border would deter illegal crossings. Frustrated by his organization being called vigilantes, Gilchrist says that if people want to correctly address them, then this is what they should call the Minutemen Project: “a law-abiding, multiethnic, law-enforcement advocacy group, in favor of the orderly queue of legal immigration and opposed to the perilous chaos of illegal immigration.”
Gilchrist and Corsi disapprove of the way that employers abuse illegal immigrants by paying them lower wages and denying them benefits. The book calls this the “twenty-first-century slave trade”. This undermines the wages that U.S. citizens earn.
Minutemen devotes a whole chapter to discuss the death of deputy David March. March was killed by an illegal immigrant involved in gang and drug activities during a routine traffic stop.
, health care
, and taxes. Gilchrist was registered with the American Independent Party
, the California affiliate of the Constitution Party
, but has since re-registered as a Republican, and is an adamant supporter of immigration enforcement, law enforcement and the military. He announced his endorsement of Mike Huckabee for President
in December 2007. The endorsement of Huckabee by Gilchrist met with strong criticism from other minutemen and anti-illegal immigration activists. It should also be noted that this was a personal, individual endorsement by Gilchrist, not an endorsement by any minuteman organization.
, Gilchrist willingly allowed members of the National Alliance, one of the United States' largest neo-Nazi organizations, to help with his 2005 House run. Gilchrist has claimed that he refuses to work with white supremacists
. Gilchrist has denied allowing racist individuals in the project.
In October 2006, Gilchrist appeared on Democracy Now and abruptly ended the interview after Karina Garcia started accusing him of being a murderer and said that he has ties to the National Alliance.
In a March 2006, interview with the Orange County Register, Gilchrist stopped just short of calling for his followers to pick up their guns: "I'm not going to promote insurrection, but if it happens, it will be on the conscience of the members of Congress who are doing this," he said. "I will not promote violence in resolving this, but I will not stop others who might pursue that."
In May 2010, Politico
reported that Howie Morgan, the Minuteman Project's political director, may have solicited donations from political campaigns in exchange for Gilchrist's endorsement. Rick Perry
, Parker Griffith
and Tim Bridgewater were all recipients of Gilchrist's endorsements in 2010. Mo Brooks, an Alabama politician running against Griffith, said that Morgan indicated Gilchrist would endorse Brooks if Morgan was hired.
The Minuteman Project Inc.
The Minuteman Project is an activist organization started in April 2005 by a group of private individuals in the United States to monitor the United States – Mexico border's flow of illegal immigrants. Co-founded by Jim Gilchrist, the name derives from the Minutemen, militiamen who fought in the...
, an activist group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's southern border.
Early life
Jim Gilchrist spent his childhood in Kansas and Texas. He lived with his two twin older brothers and his father, who was a World War II Navy enlistee. At the age of seventeen, he left home because of years of abuse from his father and stepmother. He moved to a small apartment in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
where he completed high school as he worked at a car wash. His employer later described him as, “…a good worker. Jim always had a smile, even when he didn’t have a lot to smile about.” After high school Gilchrist enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Jim entered in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He was stationed at a site that is one hundred miles North of Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, which was just below the Demilitarized Zone
Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War.During the Second Indochina War , it became important as the battleground demarcation separating North Vietnamese territory from South Vietnamese territory.-...
. He spent thirteen months in Vietnam, and saw about one hundred battles. Jim mostly saw assault duty during his tour. Gilchrist was struck with a bullet on the battlefield, which later earned him the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
. Today he keeps photos of his comrades and outposts to remind him of his experiences in the Vietnam War. His time in Vietnam has shaped the way that he views war. He says, “I’d be very, very cautious about sending any American soldiers into any war environment. I’d be very insistent upon adequate cover.”
Gilchrist holds a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in newspaper journalism from the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
, a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in business administration from California State Polytechnic University, and an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
in taxation from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
. He is a former newspaper reporter and a retired California CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
He currently resides in Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo is a city in Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in the county to incorporate since 2000...
with his wife, Sandy.
Co-founder of the Minuteman Movement
Jim Gilchrist and Chris SimcoxChris Simcox
Chris Simcox is the American co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps 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....
are widely recognized as the founders of the Minuteman Project. They founded the organization on October 1, 2004. The two staged a month long border watch project in April 2005 and that event catapulted the Minuteman movement into the national spotlight. Gilchrist chose to locate in Arizona for the Project, because there was a disproportionately large number of illegal immigrants crossing in that state.
2005 election bid
Gilchrist unsuccessfully ran as an American Independent PartyAmerican Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
candidate for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
representing California's 48th congressional district
California's 48th congressional district
California's 48th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Orange County in Southern California...
to replace 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...
Christopher Cox, who resigned to become Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
In the low-turnout open 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....
for Cox's seat held on October 4, 2005, Gilchrist finished behind two Republicans but ahead of all other candidates, including Democrats. He received 14.8% of the vote (a total of 13,423 votes). He was the only one running under his party, and therefore automatically advanced into the run-off.
Gilchrist lost to Republican state Senator John Campbell in the December 6 general election, receiving 25.5% (26,507) of the vote. Campbell received 44.4% (46,184), Steve Young (Democrat) 27.8% (28,853), Bea Tiritilli (Green) 1.4% (1,430), Bruce Cohen (Libertarian) 0.9% (974).
Gilchrist has provided conservative opinions on various issues but emphasized that immigration and the border is the primary issue from which the others flow.
He has stated that he would consider a presidential run in 2008 with the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
, should the two major parties offer candidates with no proactive history on the issue of illegal immigration. He stated "If 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....
enters the race for president I will definitely run. John McCain should have forfeited his right to run for president on the Republican Party the moment he put his name on immigration legislation with Sen. Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
." However, McCain did enter the race, but Gilchrist later withdrew his intention to run, citing concerns about viability in third parties.
Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders
Minutemen is a book coauthored by Jim Gilchrist and Jerome R. Corsi. It was written in 2006 and addressed the illegal immigration issue in America. The book is 375 pages long and has twelve chapters. It also features a forward from Congressman Tom TancredoTom Tancredo
Thomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, as a Republican...
.
The book tries to persuade readers that illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
is a dangerous and costly problem that needs an immediate policy solution. Gilchrist and Corsi claim that there is a population of 30 million illegal immigrants in the United States. The preface states, “This is an invasion, not a visit by neighbors asking for a cup of sugar.”
The invasion theme is seen throughout the book. Gilchrist and Corsi repeatedly make the claim that it is not just workers and families that come across the border, but criminals who also enter the country illegally. The authors state that 10-20% of people that enter the country illegally are criminals, and 10% will become criminals once they arrive in the U.S.
Additionally, Gilchrist believes that the open borders would create a welfare state, due to his belief that many of the immigrants take advantage of social benefits in America. The authors say that the number of undereducated illegal immigrants could outnumber the middle class. They discuss “anchor babies”, which is the large population of children born on U.S. soil to illegal immigrants. Since they are born in the United States, then they are American citizens by default. When the anchor babies are twenty-one years old, then they are able to sponsor their parents in the citizenship process.
The book also provides information about the Minutemen Project. It says that the goal of the group is to provide awareness of the disregard by politicians of the “illegal immigration crisis” and to prove that the mere presence of a person at the border would deter illegal crossings. Frustrated by his organization being called vigilantes, Gilchrist says that if people want to correctly address them, then this is what they should call the Minutemen Project: “a law-abiding, multiethnic, law-enforcement advocacy group, in favor of the orderly queue of legal immigration and opposed to the perilous chaos of illegal immigration.”
Gilchrist and Corsi disapprove of the way that employers abuse illegal immigrants by paying them lower wages and denying them benefits. The book calls this the “twenty-first-century slave trade”. This undermines the wages that U.S. citizens earn.
Minutemen devotes a whole chapter to discuss the death of deputy David March. March was killed by an illegal immigrant involved in gang and drug activities during a routine traffic stop.
Political views
Gilchrist holds conservative views on educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, and taxes. Gilchrist was registered with the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
, the California affiliate of the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
, but has since re-registered as a Republican, and is an adamant supporter of immigration enforcement, law enforcement and the military. He announced his endorsement of Mike Huckabee for President
Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2008
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for the 2008 presidential election in the United States on January 28, 2007...
in December 2007. The endorsement of Huckabee by Gilchrist met with strong criticism from other minutemen and anti-illegal immigration activists. It should also be noted that this was a personal, individual endorsement by Gilchrist, not an endorsement by any minuteman organization.
Controversy
According to a report from the Southern Poverty Law CenterSouthern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
, Gilchrist willingly allowed members of the National Alliance, one of the United States' largest neo-Nazi organizations, to help with his 2005 House run. Gilchrist has claimed that he refuses to work with white supremacists
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
. Gilchrist has denied allowing racist individuals in the project.
In October 2006, Gilchrist appeared on Democracy Now and abruptly ended the interview after Karina Garcia started accusing him of being a murderer and said that he has ties to the National Alliance.
In a March 2006, interview with the Orange County Register, Gilchrist stopped just short of calling for his followers to pick up their guns: "I'm not going to promote insurrection, but if it happens, it will be on the conscience of the members of Congress who are doing this," he said. "I will not promote violence in resolving this, but I will not stop others who might pursue that."
In May 2010, Politico
Politico (newspaper)
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
reported that Howie Morgan, the Minuteman Project's political director, may have solicited donations from political campaigns in exchange for Gilchrist's endorsement. Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
, Parker Griffith
Parker Griffith
Parker Griffith, M.D. is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party, having switched from the Democratic Party on December 22, 2009, but lost the Republican primary and his term ended in January 2011.-Early life, education and...
and Tim Bridgewater were all recipients of Gilchrist's endorsements in 2010. Mo Brooks, an Alabama politician running against Griffith, said that Morgan indicated Gilchrist would endorse Brooks if Morgan was hired.
Books
- Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders, by Jim Gilchrist, Jerome R. CorsiJerome CorsiJerome Robert Corsi is an American author, political commentator and conspiracy theorist best known for his two New York Times bestselling books: The Obama Nation and Unfit for Command...
, and Tom TancredoTom TancredoThomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, as a Republican...
. Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
: World Ahead Publishing (2006). ISBN 0-9778984-1-5.