Stirred by Trump Right Wing Militia Groups Head to Border

It what is a recipe for disaster, right wing militia groups - many filled with white supremacists and white nationalists - are heading to the U.S./Mexico border, answering the racist call of Der Trumpenführer who previously stated he would have U.S. military troops fire on unarmed refugees  if they wielded rocks. One can only hope that no one loses their life as a result of the dishonest, hysteria invoking rhetoric of the foul occupant of the White House.  Many landowners and U.S. military officials do not want the militias along the border and fear thefts of military gear by militia extremists, damage to private property and the endangerment of both locals and refugees.  Sadly, it is yet another example of the normalization of the reprehensible being pushed by the Trump/Pence regime. The Washington Post looks at the dangerous phenomenon.  Here are highlights:

Gun-carrying civilian groups and border vigilantes have heard a call to arms in President Trump’s warnings about threats to American security posed by caravans of Central American migrants moving through Mexico. They’re packing coolers and tents, oiling rifles and tuning up aerial drones, with plans to form caravans of their own and trail American troops to the border.

McGauley and others have been roused by [Trump’s] the president’s call to restore order and defend the country against what Trump has called “an invasion,” as thousands of Central American migrants advance slowly through southern Mexico toward the U.S. border. Trump has insisted [without any evidence] that “unknown Middle Easterners,” “very tough fighters,” and large numbers of violent criminals are traveling among the women, children and families heading north on foot.

McGauley said. “My phone’s been ringing nonstop for the last seven days. You got other militias, and husbands and wives, people coming from Oregon, Indiana. We’ve even got two from Canada.”  Asked whether his group planned to deploy with weapons, McGauley laughed. “This is Texas, man,” he said.

And yet, the prospect of armed vigilantes showing up beside thousands of U.S. troops — along with Border Patrol agents, police officers and migrants — is considered serious enough that military planners have issued warnings to Army commanders.

[T]he military is concerned about the arrival of “unregulated militia members self-deploying to the border in alleged support” of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“They operate under the guise of citizen patrols,” the report said, while warning of “incidents of unregulated militias stealing National Guard equipment during deployments.” The military report provided no further details about the alleged thefts.

Several landowners in the area said they do not want the militias around.

Michael Vickers, a veterinarian and rancher who lives an hour north of the border in Falfurrias, said that he will not let militia members from outside the area onto his property and that he doubts most area landowners would trust outsiders.

“I will not let militia on my land,” [Lucy] Kruse said. “They’re civilians stepping into a situation where the Border Patrol is supposed to be in control and make decisions. They could damage property or harm workers. I would guess they would be trigger-happy. If they shot someone, they might just say the person they shot was reaching for a gun.”

“The militia just needs to stay where they are,” said Metz, a Republican. “We don’t need fanatical people. We don’t need anybody here with guns. Why do they have guns? I have dealt with illegals for 30 years, and all of them have been scared, asking for help. The militias need to stay up north where they belong. We have no use for them here. They might shoot someone or hurt someone.”