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Last week鈥檚 event featured three sheriffs, two U.S. lawmakers and a judge. Each speaker took turns fearmongering about migrants crossing the Southern border, claiming cartels own the border and invoking the fictitious specter of an ongoing invasion. Anti-immigrant activists and hate group leaders have often stoked fears of an invasion during election season, including running political ads and holding press events. Right-wing hysteria聽around the caravan from Mexico is a .

The event was organized by the Federation for Immigration Reform, or FAIR, an anti-immigrant hate group founded by white nationalist John Tanton聽in 1979. FAIR is one of the leading anti-immigrant organizations working to fulfill Tanton鈥檚 vision: maintaining a majority-white population by vilifying non-white immigrants and severely limiting immigration to the United States.

Despite FAIR鈥檚 ugly history and rhetoric, they maintain a veneer of legitimacy to court sympathetic lawmakers and law enforcement officials.

In April 2021, FAIR coordinated a letter about the 鈥淒angerous Biden Border Crisis鈥� with the National Sheriffs Associations that was signed by hundreds of sheriffs. Two of the letter鈥檚 signatories spoke at the press conference, Sheriff Scott Jenkins of Culpeper, Virginia, and Sheriff Brett Schroetlin of Grand County, Colorado.

Jenkins is a longtime ally of FAIR, having appeared at other events organized by the hate group over the years, as well as in a 2017 FAIR television advertisement in support of Donald Trump鈥檚 nativist agenda.

Jenkins is also a follower of antigovernment extremist constitutional sheriff ideas. He is an advisory member for Protect America Now and spoke at the 2021 Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officer Conference, held at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Both organizations believe sheriffs are the highest law enforcement authority in the country and should only enforce the laws they consider constitutional. The ideology聽traces its origins to the 1970s and Christian Identity聽minister William Potter Gale, who called this principle Posse Comitatus.

In his speech, Jenkins stated, 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to protect America now,鈥� a possible reference to the extremist organization of the same name. (Jenkins is listed on Protect America Now鈥檚 website as a member of its advisory committee.) He also said, 鈥淭he crime and violence that was once across our Southern border has been given an open door to now come to every town in America.鈥�

Jenkins also voiced his support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott鈥檚 political stunt of sending busloads of migrants and refugees to New York City and Washington, D.C., which has reportedly . Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis carried out a similar stunt, busing migrants to Martha鈥檚 Vineyard for a political spectacle. Those arriving to the island were received by volunteers who provided aid and support.

Sheriff Brett Schroetlin of Grand County, Colorado, used his speech to falsely claim, 鈥淭he fact is our cartels are running our nation.鈥� Schroetlin is also the current president of the Western States Sheriffs鈥� Association, which has multiple members associated with the constitutional sheriff's movement.

Two officials from Terrell County, Texas, spoke at the presser. One was Sheriff Thad Cleveland, who says he spent 26 years as a border patrol agent. Cleveland has previously said he would consider using the same immigration approach as vigilante sheriff Brad Coe of Kinney County, Texas, who has been accused of not following federal immigration laws. Coe has claimed his method of deportation has been, 鈥淲e put them in a truck and took them home.鈥�

During his speech, Cleveland made the unfounded claim, 鈥淥ur cartels are controlling our border 鈥� 100%鈥�

Judge Dale Lynn Carruthers, also from Terrell County, said at the press conference that the U.S. is being invaded, an allegation she has made . On July 5, Judge Carruthers participated in a press conference in Texas in which she declared an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� from the Southern border. Carruthers, five other county judges and one mayor signed extra-legal 鈥渋nvasion declarations鈥� as political statements. Demographic doomsaying about a non-white immigrant 鈥渋nvasion鈥� is a practice that was once confined primarily to white nationalist and anti-immigrant circles. In recent years, however, this has become a common talking point among right-wing politicians and pundits.

The event was moderated by FAIR鈥檚 RJ Hauman, who kicked off the event making alarmist, unsubstantiated statements about 鈥渢errorists being apprehended鈥� at the Southern border and American taxpayers 鈥渇ronting billions鈥� to cover migrants, two well-treaded nativist talking points. Texas Reps. Michael Cloud and Chip Roy were also in attendance. Hauman said FAIR was 鈥減roud to align鈥� with the press conference speakers.

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