The Ku Klux Klan has made a resurgence in headlines recently, most notably for their call to shoot and kill young refugees coming to America, and then to “leave the corpses” at the border.
A crew from Al-Jazeera America met and filmed two hooded Klansmen to discuss the U.S.-Mexico border issue.
One man, who was identified as Robert Jones, a grand dragon in the Klan, said with concern to the growing number of child immigrants, “These people are criminals to begin with when they cross our country.”
Jones continued by saying:
“They’re gonna continue to break the law when they’re here. They’re bringing with ’em the third-world diseases…
If we can’t turn them back, I think if we pop a couple of ’em off and leave the corpses laying on the border, maybe they’ll see that we’re serious about stopping immigration.”
Later in the video, the Klansmen made mention of how the immigration issue has sparked growth and support for the Klan, but they would not give any backing information. “People want to see more rallies,”said one of the hooded men. “They’re begging us to come to their town.”
This is not the first time this year the Klan has been in the news though. In July, citizens in South Carolina woke up one morning to find bags of candy in their yards and on their doorsteps, courtesy of the KKK. Each baggie read “Save our land, Join the Klan,” followed by a Klan emblem.
These baggies of candy also had a telephone number on the bag which, if dialed, connected the caller to a recording of an individual decrying immigration, according to FOX Carolina.
Despite these efforts, and what the Klansmen told Al-Jazeera, the number of Klansemen have been dwindling over the years with their ranks only getting smaller, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Lecia Brooks of the SPLC, has said these recruitment efforts, as well as weekend rallies and other recruiting methods, are a sign the Klan is standing on their last leg, and this is a “last gasp” or the Klan t regain support.