A Special Report by the Southern Poverty Law Center
In Sounds Like Hate’s latest episode, Part I of “The Unwelcome,” we’re on the southern border in Arizona, where armed militia groups stalk migrants traversing harsh desert conditions. Despite decades of civil rights triumphs, migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. are subjected to torment by these militias without the same protections under the law that U.S. citizens are afforded.
In some cases, militia members armed with guns, scopes and motion-activated video cameras seek to capture migrants and destroy their water sources. Since Donald Trump’s election, these organized paramilitary forces have grown in numbers. In 2020, the SPLC tracked 566 extreme anti-government groups, which frequently operate at the U.S.-Mexico border.
These paramilitary groups use social media to share false messages and conspiracy theories about what happens at the border. The Border Patrol does not officially endorse militia groups, but in videos reviewed by the Sounds Like Hate team, they interact with Border Patrol officers and sometimes appear to be working together.
Sounds Like Hate is a podcast from the SPLC that tells the stories of people and communities grappling with hate and searching for solutions.