Dressed in military gear and armed, members of what appears to be a militia rule the border between Mexico and the United States. In this video posted by The country, a group of men can be seen arresting migrants, questioning them about their origin and identity. Their clothes might suggest that their action is legal, but these men are not invested with any power.
As the video explains, this militia is called Patriots for America. Created in 2015 for “protect conservative protests”she made it her mission to “protect the American border”. And the operations it conducts, with the “collaboration” or the “tolerance” local authorities and border guards, are controversial in the United States: in the video The country, gunmen are seen in action in the wild, intercepting families attempting to enter the United States.
“In a context where justice forces the Biden government to continue deporting migrants, explains the Spanish daily, the migration policy launched by Donald Trump, as well as the existence of Patriots for America and other militias, has alerted humanitarian organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which demands that the activities of these armed militias subject to rigorous investigation.”
The pretext of the fight against Covid-19
In March 2020, the Trump administration reactivated Title 42, in the name of the fight against Covid-19. This public health measure dating from 1893 was adopted to fight against epidemics such as cholera, which authorizes the immediate expulsion of adults intercepted without a visa at the American borders.
Joe Biden wanted to lift this device, but around twenty states opposed it. And on May 20, a federal judge decided to uphold it. And according to The country, this “uncertainty” The legal system on the US-Mexico border favors the deployment of militias such as Patriots for America.
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