Militia chief Sam Hall about his mission at the American border: “We protect America”

Mr. Hall, you are the head of a private militia that patrols the Mexican-American border. Can’t the state protect itself?

Samuel Hall: The ‘Patriots for America’ (PFA) dates back to 2015. The political atmosphere was very heated when Donald Trump (77) and Hillary Clinton (76) competed. People were afraid to attend political events. We decided to protect her. Whether we are Democrat or Republican, we should be able to attend a meeting without being attacked, assaulted, beaten or injured.

Today you will guard the southern border with Mexico.

We’re trying to save children who are being smuggled across the border into the United States. But that’s not all we see. Immigrants have died in our arms, we have saved the lives of others.

You are accused of taking the law into your own hands and promoting Republican policies.
We are more of a Christian organization than a Republican one. We will not allow anyone who comes to our country illegally to die. Jesus Christ wouldn’t do that either.

It is the state’s job to guard the border. They disturb the authorities.

No one will confirm this to you, but we are working with law enforcement: side by side with the Border Patrol, the National Guard and local sheriffs. We exchange ideas intensively.

So that everyone knows what everyone is doing?

We don’t want to step on each other’s toes. The worst would be for the authorities to confuse us with human trafficking cartels. We are equipped like the cartels and wear body armor like them. The cartel, the military and us all wear uniforms and AR-15 assault rifles. This makes it all the more important that law enforcement agencies know where and how we are operating.

The police tolerate you. But are you not welcome?

This is a difficult question. They never officially say that. Unofficially they support us. Many local officials thank us for our work.

Private militias have a reputation for operating outside the law. The authorities reject them.

No one will officially tell you that they support us. But they know we complement each other. We have drones and weapons that are useful at the border.

What is your job?

We protect America by looking at the border. But we don’t arrest immigrants. If we discover illegal immigrants, we alert the Border Patrol. When unaccompanied minors are in a group, we try to find out whether they are victims of sex trafficking.

You have returned from a 15-day mission at the border. What do you think about the situation?
I’ve never experienced it this bad before. Many people die trying to cross the desert, especially in Arizona. It is safer in the area around Eagle Pass, where 4,000 to 5,000 people come in large groups every day.

At the end of January, the Texas army closed the city park ‘Shelby Park’ in Eagle Park, a popular intersection. It now looks like a fortress. Is the crisis under control?

The number of border crossings has hardly changed. The cartels now simply transport migrants north and south of Eagle Pass across the Rio Grande. The army will likely have to expand its operations north and south. It is not easy. In Maverick County alone, near Eagle Pass, the cartels make $32 million a week. They won’t give up that much money.

To stop the crisis you have to fight the cartels?
No. We need to fix a broken immigration system. The Democrats keep the borders open for political reasons. They import votes to change the political mood in Texas and other US states. And if they succeed, they can stay in power for a very long time.

This is a crude theory that many call racist. White people like you don’t want Latinos in the country.
The PFA is not a racist white organisation. We employ people from all ethnic groups. My wife and two of my children are Latino. We condemn all forms of racist and hateful rhetoric.

Human rights organizations contradict you and accuse the ‘Patriots for America’ of racist intentions.

This is defamatory and wrong. And I hope you publish this statement. We are a Christian conservative organization. We condemn all forms of hatred. We do not have hateful, racist rhetoric of white supremacy. We are not alone in our position on immigration.

Even in liberal cities there is increasing resistance to immigrants.

Even Democratic cities like New York and Chicago are fed up with what’s happening at our southern border. You feel the pressure. They see war veterans and the elderly being evicted from homes to make way for immigrants. You see tax dollars being spent on healthcare and welfare for illegal immigrants

The problem cannot be denied. Would Donald Trump have a solution?
Under Donald Trump we had one of the most secure borders in our history. For him, the border was his top priority. That does not mean that people will no longer cross the border with fentanyl and other drugs. But the numbers were much lower than today. If Trump is elected, he will return to his 2016 policies. And he will secure the border, just as he did before.

How are the ‘Patriots for America’ organized?

We have offices in Texas, Missouri and Chicago. But we have volunteers from all over the United States.

Anyone who can shoot can participate?
They all go through a strict selection process. Everyone who applies for a job with us will receive a link for a background check. Eight or nine in ten don’t even complete the background check. They fall out immediately. This saves us a lot of time and effort. We want to ensure that everyone’s character and integrity are consistent with our mission.

What are you afraid of?
We don’t want anyone with bad intentions on our team. One such person could endanger our organization. The FBI has been investigating us, the Texas Rangers, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) – and all the other three-letter agencies. We survived this investigation because we have nothing to hide and are not doing anything illegal.

Yet you are discreet. You don’t say how many people work for you. Do not publish your number.

We have to worry about being infiltrated by FBI spies. It’s possible that a nefarious three-letter organization is trying to ensnare us, as happened with the Michigan militia. We fear that we are being infiltrated and deceived. But our members know exactly what the legal and constitutional limits are. We do not cross these boundaries.

Who are the members of the PFA?

Many years ago I was studying at a Bible college and serving as a missionary. About half of our employees are former military personnel and former police officers. The other half are conservative, patriotic people with normal blue-collar, white-collar jobs. Everyone works for us voluntarily and unpaid.

Are you equipping your militia? Or does everyone bring their own device?
People have their own protective equipment, their own weapons. We ensure that all weapons are legal. Our operations at the border last from one to several weeks, then we go home and rest.

Can I accompany you on a trip to the border?
Send me the link to your article. If it is balanced, you will be given permission to come with us. We will let you know when it starts. We don’t expect you to encourage us. We expect you to report about us honestly and with integrity.