Trump-pardoned Senate hopeful calls for Proud Boys to ‘bounty hunt’ migrants

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Trump-pardoned Senate hopeful calls for Proud Boys to ‘bounty hunt’ migrants
Trump-pardoned Senate hopeful calls for Proud Boys to ‘bounty hunt’ migrants

A hopeful Republican senator, who was pardoned by Donald Trump for alleged involvement in the January 6 riots, suggests that a far-right group should ’bounty hunt’ migrants.

Jake Lang, who is aiming to secure Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s seat in the Florida Senate elections, made these comments to Newsweek.

’I would deputize the Proud Boys and the January 6 Patriots to bounty hunt illegal immigrants,’ he stated.

The Proud Boys, established in 2016 by Gavin McInnes – a co-founder of Vice Media – is a far-right, all-male group that describes itself as ’Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world’.

Their name comes from the song "Proud Of Your Boy," which was featured in the musical adaptation of Disney’s movie Aladdin.

Members are required to publicly declare themselves as Proud Boys and Trump supporters, with the group’s ideologies including ’glorify the entrepreneur’, ’close the border’, ’end welfare’, and ’give everyone a gun’, as well as redefining traditional gender roles (or, as they express it, ’venerate the housewife’).

Members of the Proud Boys, gathered in a street in Washington, DC, listen to the inauguration ceremony proceedings inside the Capitol Rotunda where US President-elect Donald Trump was being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) qhxidiqxkiqxzinv

Trump has seemingly given an open endorsement to the group.

In 2020, when asked, ’Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups?’ Trump replied, ’I’m willing to do anything. I want peace.’

Biden urged the president, ’Do it. Say it.’ "What do you want me to say?" Trump asked, ’What do you want to call them? Give me a name.’

’White supremacists,’ the moderator Wallace specified. Trump responded, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," which was interpreted as a friendly reference to the group.

Lang continued, ’We would offer a bounty and work with local sheriffs and deputize and give legal access to enable these people to join en masse and work alongside federal law enforcement to provide tips, provide information, and go out and make the arrests of these illegal immigrants.’

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 21: Members of the far-right group the Proud Boys, including their former leader Enrique Tarrio (L), rally outside the U.S. Capitol before a press conference on February 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held in the same area where thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in an attempt to halt the certification of former President Joe Biden’s election victory. In one of the first acts of his second term, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged and convicted of crimes related to the attack. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Although he never stood trial for his alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection, he was pardoned by Trump upon taking office.

His comments come at a turbulent time in the US, with ICE raids increasing in cities across the nation.

Editorial Team

Sophia Martinez

World Affairs Correspondent

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