- In parts of Texas, vigilante groups are targeting asylum seekers by detaining them while armed.
- The Department of Homeland Security released a bulletin earlier this week that said domestic violence extremists may be targeting migrants and other groups, motivated in part by conspiracy theories.
- Many posts online by vigilante groups and white nationalists focus on what is known as the “great alternative” theory.
Violent, majority-white vigilante groups are ramping up patrols along areas along US-Mexico border, pose a risk to immigrant and people of color, according to local watchdog groups.
In parts of Texas, vigilante groups are targeting asylum seekers by detaining them while armed and using anti-immigrant rhetoric. such as “invasion” Kate Huddleston, an attorney for the ACLU of Texas, said to describe migrants at the border. She points to Operation Lone Star, an initiative launched by Governor Greg Abbott to increase border enforcement with the National Guard, as adding fuel to the racial tensions that often lead to violent incidents. this.
