[JURIST] Members of the private Minuteman Civil Defense Corps [advocacy website] have begun a new month-long campaign [press release; recruitment audio] in US states bordering Mexico and Canada to raise public awareness of illegal immigration. Minuteman volunteers watch the borders with binoculars and are instructed to contact government Border Control officials [Minuteman training manual, PDF] to report illegal immigrants. The campaign comes in the midst of contentious Senate debate [JURIST news archive] over new immigration legislation and protests [JURIST report] in several major cities against any severe legislative crackdown.

Minuteman volunteers conducted similar activities peacefully last year but some US Border Protection [official website] officials and civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the potential for violence between volunteers, some of whom carry guns, and immigrants. Critics regard members of the group as vigilantes [ACLU press release]. AP has more. The Arizona Daily Star has local coverage.

[JURIST] A controversial French labor law that has prompted strikes and mass demonstrations by students and workers across France was officially published Sunday in France's Journal officiel [official website] gazette after being signed by President Jacques Chirac [official profile]. The statute establishing the so-called First Employment Contract (CPE) [text, JURIST news archive] allows employers to fire workers under the age of 26 without cause in the first two years of employment. In a televised address to the nation [recorded video], Chirac said Friday evening he would urge the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin [official profile] to immediately amend the law to reduce the time period to one year and require employers to give a reason for dismissal. On Saturday opponents of the law rejected Chirac's compromise [JURIST report] and promised another major strike on Tuesday in hopes of getting the law entirely repealed. AFP has more.

Meanwhile, de Villepin told Le Journal du Dimanche in an interview [subscription only] published Sunday that "There is misunderstanding and incomprehension about the direction of my action. I profoundly regret it." He admitted he made some political mistakes managing the controversy but said he would not resign. AP has more.

[JURIST] Former Liberian president and accused war criminal Charles Taylor [JURIST news archive] is set to make his first appearance in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) [official website] before Justice Richard Lussick [official profile] at Freetown on Monday, where he is expected to plead not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity [amended indictment, PDF]. Lawyers from the SCSL defense office [press release, PDF] have met with Taylor and will represent him at Monday's hearing. A court spokesman says, however, that Taylor has not yet chosen his legal team for the trial, which is not expected to begin for several months. One of Taylor's lawyers, Richard Flomo, has told Reuters "Mr Taylor is broke. He does not have money to plead a case," despite reports that the car Taylor was traveling in when he was captured [JURIST report] was full of US dollars. Flomo added "We hope goodwilled people and other institutions will come and help so that we can plead his case." Flomo is seeking permission from the UN to travel to Sierra Leone to consult with his client. Reuters has more.

While Monday's hearing will take place in Sierra Leone, the trial itself is expected to be conducted at The Hague [JURIST report] following an SCSL request last week. The UN Security Council is considering a resolution [JURIST report] on the matter. AP has more.