The Great Replacement narrative, rooted in white nationalism, posits without basis that a powerful cabal of elites are deliberately replacing white Americans with immigrants. In the last several years, the narrative has evolved into versions that appeal to different audiences. An antisemitic version of it, which surfaced during recent truck convoys focused on the border crisis, accuses Jews and Jewish organizations of engineering the surge of asylum seekers.
Another version, voiced by some high-ranking GOP officials, asserts that Democrats are intentionally bringing in immigrants to dilute the strength of Republican voters. This narrative has been articulated by now-GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, including at a House Judiciary Committee hearing prior to his elevation to party leadership.
“It’s essentially serving as a lightning rod to gather all these extreme fringe elements down to the border,” said Freddy Cruz, program manager for the Western States Center, which monitors anti-democratic movements. “It’s having an impact, as we’re seeing with neo-Nazi groups, militias, conspiracy theorists, all joining together to rally behind this issue of immigration.”
Cruz said this was a marked shift from much of the period following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Following the wave of arrests tied to that event, extremist groups have largely stayed away from in-person gatherings, often labeling attempts to gather rightwing activists “false flag” operations. But Cruz said the border gatherings lit up social media spaces frequented by far-right actors, and drew in-person appearances from Proud Boys, neo-fascist fight clubs and border vigilantes, some of whom had been inactive for years.
Within extremist circles, the desire to capitalize on the migrant surge has been churning for months. In a Telegram channel for the New England neo-Nazi group NSC-131, the group’s leader has urged members to step up their engagement in physical “confrontations” around this issue.
There is no “crisis”
If there were, Republicans would take yes for an answer
I mean, there is a crisis, in that we are imprisoning innocent people, but yes
You’re assuming they want to solve the crisis rather than use it as a boogyman to enrage their base.
Then it’s not a crisis, it’s a wedge issue
It can be both things.
It can be both things, but it’s simply not
It is.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
As the election year gets underway, a conspiratorial narrative typically circulated by fringe movements has come to dominate mainstream Republican discourse on immigration, extremism researchers warn.
Specifically, they say that rhetoric used by Republican officeholders about the surge of migrants at the border with Mexico increasingly echoes the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that has inspired violence in the past and could do so again in the future.
An antisemitic version of it, which surfaced during recent truck convoys focused on the border crisis, accuses Jews and Jewish organizations of engineering the surge of asylum seekers.
Another version, voiced by some high-ranking GOP officials, asserts that Democrats are intentionally bringing in immigrants to dilute the strength of Republican voters.
Extremism experts say that the potency of the border issue as a rallying cry to a broad spectrum of the right is evidenced by who attended the recent truck convoys in Texas, California and Arizona.
“It’s essentially serving as a lightning rod to gather all these extreme fringe elements down to the border,” said Freddy Cruz, program manager for the Western States Center, which monitors anti-democratic movements.
The original article contains 623 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 70%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I can’t say I’m entirely unhappy. I was tired of them rioting in my downtown (Portland). Let them go rot at the border, as long as they’re not doing any real damage.
If you want to see what’s going on at the border watch channel 5 with Andrew Callahan.
There is no crisis and nobody’s getting imprisoned. Everybody gets kicked back to their respective country. At least at Eagle Pass. I don’t know about any of the other spots.
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