Wearing bulletproof vests and carrying firearms, members of the Patriots For America civil militia monitor part of the Texas border and claim that they are defending the United States from an “invasion” that is out of control due to the historical increase in the migratory flow .
“We know that if Texas falls, the The rest of the country will also fall, ”said Samuel Hall, president of the group.
In the last year the arrests of undocumented migrants along the border with Mexico, especially in Texas , have established record figures.
Therefore, the militia He claims to be responding to the call for help from residents of border communities and ranchers, tired of having their homes invaded, of losing their animals because migrants break the fences in their path and of having their cars stolen.
Hall assures that these communities feel ignored by the Administration f ederal and are tired of the insecurity that exists in the region, that many are afraid to leave their homes, that the roads are deserted and children can no longer go outside to play outside their homes.
The militia currently patrols the border with Mexico in Kinney County , which together with four other border counties declared a state of emergency last April due to the increase in flow
Although the governor of Texas , Greg Abbott, ordered the deployment to the border of soldiers of the National Guard and agents of the Department of Public Security (DPS) to arrest migrants and assist the Border Patrol, this aid has not reached Kinney, they allege.
This county of 1. 360 square miles (3. 522 square kilometers) and shares 16 miles (26 kil meters) of the border with Mexico is located between El Río and Eagle Pass in the border counties of Valverde and Maverick, which have become “red points” for migrant crossing.
Therefore, most of the resources have been concentrated in those regions, leaving practically only Kinney, which has only six bailiffs to combat the problems that have derived from the increased migratory flow.
They want to “dissuade” immigrants
Hall, who refused to reveal how many members of his militia are currently at the border, assures that the group’s presence is only to try to “dissuade” the migrants and that they are in no way seeking to initiate a “Fight” or “confrontation” with anyone.
He maintains that armed volunteers do not detain migrants and that when they detect a group they immediately notify the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office or DPS .
The leader of Patriots For America holds the president directly responsible Joe Biden of what he calls an “invasion” that is experienced daily on the border.
“ President Biden has never intended to fix the border a. He is sacrificing the security of our communities to gain political power, ”said Hall, who considers that the US border with Mexico is the most insecure and porous in the world.
He acknowledges that there are families who cross the border, but among them he fears that there are people with criminal records, members of cartels or even terrorists who may enter the country without being detected.
Upon completion of the fiscal year 2021, which ended on 30 In September, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported 1, 66 million arrests of undocumented migrants. It is a historical figure and surpasses the previous record of 1, 64 million of the year 2000.
Just in the Kinney County DPS reports the arrest of 1. 200 migrants in the past three months.
Hall knows that the activities of his group are being closely followed by many, including the federal government, which in his opinion awaits a “pretext” to make them “an example.”
They refuse to be racist
“I want to make it very clear that we are not racists, we are not Nazis, nor do we discriminate based on skin color. We are patriots who defend the Constitution of the United States, “said Hall, who assured that if his men find someone in danger, they will not hesitate to provide help and water to save his life.
He argued that the presence of armed volunteers has already begun to attract the attention of the Mexican cartels and said he was convinced that they were being watched from the “other side” of the border.
On the other hand, he said he supported the program implemented by Governor Abbott by which state charges of trespassing against undocumented migrants are presented. who cross the rancherías and are detained by the DPS. “They are invading, they are breaking the law,” he emphasized.
The members of the group assure that they are “prepared” to face any increase in the migratory flow that may arise from the news of a caravan of thousands of migrants currently crossing Mexican territory towards the border with the United States.
In the last three weeks, since the armed group began its surveillance, its leader affirms that the flow of migrants has not stopped.
The group does not believe the statements of the Biden Administration to the effect that the vast majority of people detained at the border are deported back to Mexico under the emergency health order called Title 42.
“ The federal government returned to the dangerous
‘catch and release’ policy , and now we are seeing the consequences, ”said Hall.
The militia is currently in talks with representatives of other counties to expand its presence along the Texas border.
The group claims to be operating thanks to donations requested through the Cash App platform.
For their part, pro-immigrant groups have expressed concern about the presence of armed civilians on the border, as they fear possible civil rights violations.
The presence of militias on the border with Mexico is not something new. In 2005 members of the Minuteman civilian militia arrived at the Arizona border to monitor the border with Mexico