Border militia Facebook groups in Texas are spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about migrants online. These groups use inflammatory language that promote violence against migrants, according to new research.
earlier this month, asking leaders at the Justice Department, Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to respond to inquiries about how they’re handling border militia groups like Veterans on Patrol and Patriots for America.
Several members of the Texas Border Patriots group appear to be based in Houston, according to Facebook posts from the last two years. One poster complained about a mariachi band playing music in a local Walmart and about receiving poor customer service, saying “I don’t recognize my country anymore” and citing a “border invasion.”at an El Paso Walmart used rhetoric about a"Hispanic Invasion." He also faces prosecution for a hate crime.
While Migration Policy Institute researcher Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan said these false narratives are dangerous when presented by extremist, violent groups. They reflect very real and commonplace anxieties of communities that feel threatened – in this case, perhaps by shifting demographics or disorder at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“This kind of fear-mongering around the potentially threatening other is a tool that is used in all parts of every country’s history,” Banulescu-Bogdan said. She added that extremists will use simple, visceral and emotional language to exploit people with anxieties to promote conspiracy theories and spread false narratives about migrants.like Facebook can shut down some of the most dangerous conversations around migrants, she said, but added that it's also essential for broader society to understand why these groups exist and why anti-immigrant rhetoric resonates with them.
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