What could go wrong continues to go wrong along the southern border where vigilantes and militiamen are taking matters into their own hands. Or trying to take matters into their own hands and failing miserably.
Local CBS affiliate KOLD-TV reports that militiamen confronted a group of people in Arizona who turned out to be researchers.
It happened Aug. 23 in the Gardner Canyon area near Sonoita where the small group of conservationists was out in the middle of the night conducting a wildlife population survey, in this case, counting bats. [...]
Sheriff Estrada says Santa Cruz County does not welcome border militia groups.
“These people that are completely out of their environment. They really don’t know the area. They don’t know the terrain. They have little knowledge of the dynamics of the border. So it can be a real problem,” Estrada says. “We really don’t want them here.”
Sheriff Tony Estrada said the border vigilantes were riding ATVs and carrying weapons when they confronted the conservationists who were counting bats.
The most troublesome detail for local law enforcement and average residents is the militiamen being from out of state. In this case they reportedly traveled from Colorado to patrol the border in Arizona. And in the sheriff’s words, they ‘really don’t know the area’ and it’s a very bad idea for them to be there.
So why are they there?
There’s a variety of reasons, none of which are good, but I believe none of them would be there if right wing media and politicians hadn’t sent them.
Describing a manageable predicament mostly involving small children as an “invasion” has repercussions as does describing human beings as parasites, disease-carriers, criminals and potential rapists — all of which are things Republican politicians have recently said about undocumented immigrants.
Filling people who are already prone to hate with more reasons to be hateful is a recipe for disaster.
(h/t Ahiza Garcia)