‘This is My Hobby’: border militias, moral assemblages, and the comfort to act

Innocence and danger at the border: migrants, “Bad” mothers, and the nation’s protectors

“…Similarly, they disguise their xenophobia through the use of "culture" (Benveniste et al, 2017). This demonstrates the multiple ways of othering that can be created from the invasion myth (see Parsons, 2023 for a deeper discussion on the topic). Parsons and Riva Comparative Migration Studies (2024) 12:13 Unlike the white women who belong to the nation and are considered victims by default (Deliovsky, 2008;McIntosh, 2017), in the eyes of Border Watch, as mentioned previously, women (of color) who seek asylum are simultaneously understood as victims and perpetrators.…”

“…While the majority of volunteers were white, a number of non-white volunteers, including Native Americans, attended the operations. Border Watch members adhered to a historically inspired notion of the citizen-soldier that deemed it was their moral duty to protect the nation and its citizens, particularly those unable or unwilling to defend it themselveswomen, children, and "liberals" (Parsons, 2020(Parsons, , 2023. The defining feature of Border Watch was their continued effort despite their near complete lack of direct interaction with migrants.…”

“…The defining feature of Border Watch was their continued effort despite their near complete lack of direct interaction with migrants. This contradiction hints toward the narratives' resilience despite the lack of evidence for its veracity (for further discussion see Parsons, 2023). John Parsons spent 11 months between 2017 and 2018 with Border Watch as they patrolled the USA-Mexico border in the Sonoran Desert.…”

“…This author joined Border Watch six times at the USA-Mexico border for their operations. A series of interviews provide additional information, as do interactions over and monitoring of social media activity (see Parsons, 2023). Members of Border Watch lived across the USA.…”