Regional Overview
United States & Canada
August 2023

United States: Ongoing far-right militia, militant social movement, and white supremacist training events and other activities

Far-right, militant social movement, and white supremacist activity continued at relatively consistent rates in August compared to July. However, demonstrations involving the far-right group People’s Rights rose to their highest levels in August, the last peak since March 2022 after Ammon Bundy, the founder and head of the group was arrested. Bundy lost a defamation lawsuit brought by an Idaho hospital against Bundy for accusing the hospital of kidnapping and engaging in child trafficking.¹Andrew Selsky, ‘Far-right activist Ammon Bundy loses Idaho hospital defamation case, must pay millions.’ Associated Press, 27 July 2023 Bundy was arrested on 11 August for contempt of court, on the grounds that he repeatedly failed to show up to court in Gem County, Idaho for more than a year. A warrant for his arrest had been outstanding since April 2023, but the County Sheriff indicated that trying to arrest Bundy would risk harm to his officers.²James Dawson, ‘Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy arrested on warrant from defamation case.’ OPB, 12 August 2023 

In other developments, several far-right groups across the country continued their activities throughout the month. In Arizona, self-styled ‘preparedness teams,’ such as the Lions of Liberty and other groups in Chino Valley, Yavapai County, and Verde Valley, held regular informational recruitment meetings. The Boogaloo Boys held an armed demonstration in support of firearm possession outside a local education office in Virginia, showing support for a group of people who were arrested for bringing rifles to a meeting on school property. Meanwhile, the Proud Boys were prominent in news headlines in August amid court hearings and sentences for the leadership of the group in their participation in the Capitol Riots.³Kyle Cheney, ‘Prosecutors seek 30-year sentences for Proud Boys leaders in Jan. 6 case,’ POLITICO, 17 August 2023 Despite the media attention, however, activity involving the Proud Boys only slightly increased, with around 60% of their activity concentrated in New York throughout the month.

Openly white supremacist activity also took place at a similar rate in August compared to July. The Goyim Defense League distributed antisemitic fliers across nine states and participated in demonstrations in California. Meanwhile, members of the Nationalist Social Club participated in a small number of rallies against immigration in Massachusetts and Maine. Elsewhere, Rose City Nationalists held a demonstration in support of white nationalism in Oregon, while the Aryan Freedom Network distributed flyers in Ohio. The Patriot Front, Active Clubs affiliated with the Rise Above Movement, Three Percenters, People’s Right Network, and the Proud Boys, were also engaged in demonstration activity in August. Patriot Front’s activity increased over 75% from July to August as the group conducted trainings, dropped banners, and participated in demonstrations. Over a third of this activity was concentrated in Texas, Connecticut, and Colorado.

Back to map

United States: Anti-immigration demonstrations spike in New York City

Tensions related to immigration were heightened in New York City during August, leading to the highest single-month number of anti-immigration demonstrations in the United States since ACLED began recording data in 2020. In recent months, New York has become a major political battleground over immigration. Mayor Eric Adams has contended that more than 100,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the past year, nearly 6,000 migrants each week.⁴Joseph Spector, ‘New York Republicans call Dems deceitful for bussing migrants to suburbs.’ POLITICO, 24 May 2023 Adams claims that the city is struggling to accommodate and care for the more than 60,000 that remain in its care, saying on 13 August that a “dam burst” in the city’s capacity.⁵Bahar Ostadan, ‘Mayor Adams says federal barriers on work authorization for migrants are ‘anti-American’.’ Gothamist, 13 August 2023 Both the mayor and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have urged the federal government to take action, specifically by expediting work permits for migrants, who must currently wait six months from when they claim asylum to receive their papers.⁶Eileen Sullivan, ‘Why Biden Can’t Expedite Work Permits for Migrants,’ New York Times, 31 August 2023

As New York continued to set up new locations to house migrants across the city last month, anti-immigration demonstrations were held in response. More than 80% of all such demonstrations took place in New York City. Demonstrators opposed migrants, including asylum seekers, being housed at a former educational building, a former assisted living facility in Staten Island, a newly-opened migrant shelter in an abandoned psychiatric center in Queens, and an airfield in Brooklyn. Demonstrators later gathered outside the Governor’s Mansion in Manhattan to demand that migrants be housed there instead. Several of these rallies were attended by former Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and his anti-crime group, the Guardian Angels, and Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis, who participated in a lawsuit filed to stop one of the shelters in Staten Island.⁷Kristie Keleshian & Natalie Duddridge, ‘Staten Island residents fume over court’s decision to overturn judge’s blocking of asylum seekers in former school.’ CBS New York, 26 August 2023

Back to map