The Southern Poverty Law Center works to dismantle white supremacy in public forums and online, exposes hate and anti-democracy extremism, and counters disinformation and conspiracy theories with research and community resources. The Intelligence Project monitors and exposes white supremacy and its impact on communities.
Antigovernment constitutional sheriff activity
- In late May, 17 Maryland sheriffs filed a lawsuit against the state of Maryland, its governor and attorney general requesting that a judge declare the state’s Community Trust Act unconstitutional. The act restricts collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by local and state law enforcement. The sheriffs argue that the act is a violation of the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution, which prohibits this kind of obstruction by a state or locality.1 Ironically, many of the sheriffs represent Second Amendment sanctuary counties, which proclaim that they will not enforce new federal or state gun laws, defying that same supremacy clause.2 Constitutional sheriffs frequently support creating gun sanctuary counties, including Chuck Jenkins of Frederick County and Mike Lewis of Wicomico County, who joined the lawsuit.3
- The Arizona Republic published the findings of its investigation into former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who previously led a constitutional sheriffs group and currently works for the anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform.4 The news outlet published an exchange Lamb had online with a fellow Facebook user who claimed he and his coworkers “work like N&%@s” to support Lamb, to which Lamb replied, “Hahahaha. So you don’t do anything?”5 The outlet reported that he was accused of sending sexually explicit texts to women and inviting them for sexual encounters. Some of these acts have been the subject of an investigation by Lamb’s church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.6
White nationalist and neo-Nazi activity
- A bulletin produced by and circulated to law enforcement officials in Colorado warned that ICE recruitment materials using white supremacist themes may encourage white supremacists “to join or infiltrate ICE,” according to a report from The Intercept.7 Throughout 2025 and 2026, social media accounts connected to ICE, the broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House have circulated memes and images using white supremacist slogans and imagery, as the Southern Poverty Law Center has reported.8 This includes, for instance, lyrics and audio from a song that members of a secretive white nationalist group produced, according to an SPLC report from January 2026.9 Colorado law enforcement officials warned that white supremacist violent extremists could misinterpret DHS messaging as a permissive environment to engage in vigilante action or violence against individuals perceived to be immigrants, the document that The Intercept obtained said.10
- Michail Chkhikvishvili, leader of the Eastern European loose network, Maniac Murder Cult, was sentenced in the U.S. to 15 years in prison in mid-May on charges that he solicited hate crimes and distributed instructions to make bombs and ricin.11 Known as “Commander Butcher” online, Chkhikvishvili operated out of New York and was accused of crafting a plot to encourage someone dressed up as Santa Claus to distribute poisoned candy to non-white children.12 As Commander Butcher, Chkhikvishvili helped produce multiple online publications, including one called the Haters Handbook, that encouraged followers to use acts of extreme violence against racial, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities.13
Antigovernment Christian supremacist activity
- End-time pastors and prophets on the podcast Highest Power: Church + State claimed federal officials briefed them about government knowledge and upcoming government releases regarding aliens and unidentified flying objects.14 Some characterized the situation as being about angels and demons, which U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert also referenced on X. She claimed aliens are actually “fallen angels and Nephilim” from the Old Testament. She also stated the issue was related to the “demonic” than more than most people understand.15
- A rally called “Rededicate 250” was held on the National Mall in mid-May. It was a Christian supremacist spectacle, claiming that the United States government and its citizens should be politically subordinate to what was once a fringe dominionist theology.16 As The Atlantic noted, the festival included speeches from U.S. Cabinet officials Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth alongside speeches by leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), the leading Christian supremacist movement in the country.17 NAR leaders who spoke included Paula White-Cain, who leads the White House Faith Office, and Lou Engle.18 The event was funded by Congress and corporations including Exxon, Lockheed Martin and Palantir.
Antigovernment and anti-democracy activity
- In May the Jan. 6 participants expressed vindication in response to the Trump administration’s creation of a $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Defendant William Pope called the fund “one of the greatest accomplishments” of the Trump administration, saying anyone opposing it was “anti-American.”19 Ed Martin, U.S. pardon attorney, stated, “The lesson of the last few days is to never stop fighting.”20 Martin, who signed off on Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 participants in January 2025, showed support for their potential restitution. The fund faced some Congressional opposition and a questionable future.
- Karen Budd-Falen, who spent her private legal career promoting the extremist idea of county supremacy, continues to find herself caught in ethics controversies while serving as the third-highest-ranking employee at the U.S. Department of Interior.21 Campaign for Accountability, a government watchdog group, is asking for a congressional investigation, saying Budd-Falen “has been actively directing federal public lands policy in ways that benefit her family’s extensive ranching operation.”22 According to reporting by Public Domain, the Campaign for Accountability specifically referenced how she has publicly described working on grazing policies that could directly benefit her family’s ranching operations.23
Sovereign citizen activity
- Florida alleged sovereign citizen David Dewaye Watson was pulled over in Hermantown, Minnesota, for driving a car with license plates that read “NOT FOR COMMERCE — PRIVATE MODE OF TRAVEL,” “NO DRIVER’S LICENSE OR INSURANCE REQUIRED” and “PRIVATE.” Although Watson refused to identify himself to law enforcement, they were able to identify him through his vehicle registration. Officers discovered that Watson had an outstanding, extraditable warrant in Florida.24
- Caesar Munir Wilson, the Minnesota man who advised sovereign citizens on taxes and trusts and is accused of attempting to claim over $90 million in false tax refunds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, was back in court, where he is representing himself. Wilson told the court that he has a new business venture, and prosecutors voiced concern that Wilson is teaching others his schemes. The judge said he needed more details before he could approve the business venture.25
Anti-LGBTQ+ movement activity
- Kansas Judge Carl Folsom III discredited so-called anti-trans “experts” when he blocked the statewide ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.26 In 117-page temporary injunction, Folsom declared the testimonies of anti-trans figures Dr. James Cantor, Jamie Reed, Chloe Cole, Dr. Patrick Lappert, Dr. Stephine Levine and Corinna Cohn held “little to weigh” and called Cantor’s opinion “cherry-picked information, conjecture and research taken out of context.”27 Folsom also laid out 349 individual facts which supported the continuation of gender-affirming care supported by credible peer-reviewed studies and scientific medical consensus.
Image at top: In a 2021 photo, Mark Lamb makes an appearance at the first AmericaFest, the annual convention of Turning Point USA, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Credit: Gage Skidmore)
Citations
1 United States District Court for the District of Maryland, “Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief,” May 26, 2026.
2 Southern Poverty Law Center, Compilation of Maryland Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties.
3 Rachel Goldwasser, “Recently Indicted Maryland Sheriff Has Links to Constitutional Sheriff, Anti-Muslim and Anti-Immigrant Movements,” Hatewatch, April 7, 2023; Marlena Chertock, “Some sheriffs protest gun restrictions; others refuse to enforce the laws,” News 21, August 16, 2014; All Red, White and Blue Podcast, “Sheriff Mike Lewis: ‘An American First,’” November 3, 2024.
4 Arizona Republic. “Women say Mark Lamb used threats to suppress sexting, nude pics,” May 20, 2026.
5Arizona Republic. “Mark Lamb traded racist jokes with border vigilante, screenshot shows.” May 27, 2026.
6 “LDS Church examined claims of ex-Arizona sheriff’s sexual impropriety,” The Arizona Republic, May 21, 2026.
7 “ICE, DHS Social Media, White Supremacist Violence,” The Intercept, May 21, 2026.
8 Southern Poverty Law Center, “DHS White Nationalist Anti‑Immigrant Social Media,” SPLC Hatewatch.
9 Southern Poverty Law Center, “White Nationalist Song, ICE Recruitment Posts,” SPLC Hatewatch.
10 Colorado Information Analysis Center, Department of Public Saftey. “Situational Awareness Bulletin.” March 10, 2026.
11“Neo‑Nazi Recruiting, Violent Attacks,” CNN, May 14, 2026.
12“Georgian National Sentenced to 15 Years Prison for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass Causality Attack in New York City.” Department of Justice. May 13, 2026.
13 U.S. Department of Justice, “Georgian National Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass,” U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs.
14 Pidcock, Rick. “End-Times Prophets Say We’re about to Find out Aliens Are Demons.” Analysis. Baptist News Global, May 8, 2026.
15 Right Wing Watch 2026. “Rep. Lauren Boebert weighs in on the government’s release of UFO files, saying aliens are actually “fallen angels and Nephilim” from the Old Testament: “I do believe that this is more spiritual and, if you really want to go there, demonic.” X, May 8, 2026.
16 Wiinikka-Lydon, Joe. “The New Dominionism Tries to Rule.” Southern Povety Law Center, June 4, 2024.
17 McCrummen, Stephanie “Spiritual Warfare Comes to the National Mall: What Trump’s prayer rally revealed about where American Christianity is heading.” The Atlantic. May 8, 2026.
; Southern Poverty Law Center, “New Dominionism Tries to Rule,” SPLC Reports.
18 “Lou Engle,” Southern Poverty Law Center, Extremist Files.
19 William Pope, posts on X.com.
20 Ed Martin, post on X.com.
21 “Leading County Supremacy Advocate Now High‑Ranking Interior Official,” SPLC Hatewatch.
22 Campaign for Accountability, “Watchdog Calls for Congressional Inquiry into Department of the Interior Ethics Failures,” Campaign for Accountability.
23 PublicDomain.media, “Top Interior Official Ensnared in Second Scandal,” PublicDomain.Media.
24 Matt McConico, “Alleged ‘Sovereign Citizen’ from Florida arrested in Hermantown,” Fox News 21, May 18, 2026.
25 Lou Raguse, “Defendant in $210 million IRS scam case back in court,” Kare 11 News, May 26, 2026; Kare 11 News, “‘Sovereign citizen’ accused of tax refund fraud,” May 26, 2026; Southern Poverty Law Center, “March 2026 Intelligence Project Dispatch: Trends,” SPLC Hatewatch, March 2026.
26 “Kansas Judge Eviscerates Anti‑Trans,” Erin in the Morning.
27 American Civil Liberties Union, SB63 Preliminary Injunction PDF, May 2026.
