The Village: Minutemen Enter Migrant Workers' Camp

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The California Minutemen went through a migrant encampment in the North County on Monday to, in their words, "clean up the area.”

The Minutemen said they took action to clean the encampment in McGonigle Canyon in Carmel Valley.

The encampment was the subject of a report broadcast last week on NBC4. Immigrant rights groups also saw the story and showed up on Monday.

The Minutemen and their supporters showed up with plastic bags, they said, to pick up trash left behind by people living in the canyon. The group arrived just after 8 a.m., some of them carrying U.S. flags. About 25 people trekked into the canyon.

"I'm not saying all these guys are bad, but this situation is bad," said homeowner Julie Adams. "This should not be allowed."

The morning did have some tense moments, but the only confrontations were verbal.

Immigrant rights activists told NBC4 that they wanted to make sure that no private property was taken.

"I would like to see a decent home for these hard-working people," said immigrant advocate Jose Gonzales.

At one point, the Minutemen stacked up several bicycles, saying that they were all in various states of disrepair.

Also at the location were San Diego police officers, who said they had been given no instruction by the property's owners to keep anyone off the property.

"We had asked the Minutemen representatives to just remove trash and no personal property," said Lt. Chris Ellis.

NBC4's Ana Garcia reported that the migrant workers were not in the canyon during the day. Some passed by as they returned Monday evening from work.