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Active 'Nativist Extremist' Groups in the United States

The number of “nativist extremist” groups — organizations that go beyond mere advocacy to personally confront suspected undocumented immigrants or those who hire or help them — dropped again last year, falling from 19 to just 17.

But that slight decline was not a reflection of diminishing hatred directed at immigrants to the United States. What appears to have happened is that figures in the political mainstream, along with numerous state legislatures, have essentially co-opted the issue, making the nativist extremist groups’ activism unnecessary.

A recent example of that is Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslim immigration and his description of Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug dealers. Immigrant-bashing, whether of Latinos or Muslims, has gone mainstream.

The drop last year was the latest since the movement peaked in 2010 with 319 groups. The numbers fell off quickly at first, at a time when state legislatures were passing harsh nativist laws, but have been very low for three years now.

What follows is a list of nativist extremist groups active in 2015:

Arizona (2)

American Freedom Riders
Phoenix, AZ

Arizona Border Recon
Phoenix, AZ

California (2)

Minuteman Project
Laguna Hills, CA

We the People Rising
Claremont, CA

Florida (1)

Floridians for Immigration Enforcement, Inc.
Pompano Beach, FL

Georgia (1)

Dustin Inman Society, The
Marietta, GA

Iowa (1)

Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
Des Moines, IA

Maryland (1)

Help Save Maryland
Rockville, MD

Michigan (1)

Michiganders for Immigration Control and Enforcement
Frankenmuth, MI

Minnesota (1)

Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform
Hanska, MN

New Jersey (2)

New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control
Carlstadt, NJ

United Patriots of America
Linden, NJ

North Carolina (1)

North Carolinians for Immigration Reform and Enforcement (NCFIRE)
Wade, NC

Oregon (1)

Oregonians for Immigration Reform
McMinnville, OR

Rhode Island (1)

Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement
Central Falls, RI

Texas (2)

Stop the Magnet
Houston, TX

Texas Border Volunteers
Waxahachie, TX