Militia groups including "Ghost Squad" and III%er groups plan to hold a rally Saturday at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona, Virginia to protest Libre by Nexus, a local company that provides bail money and GPS monitoring to detained immigrants who are awaiting court.
"This Rally is to bring awareness about a local company named Libre Nexus and what they have brought into my community and other communities around the country. This company provides GPS tracking devices to those in the USA illegally," the group's Facebook event reads. "By doing, this the company is putting unsuspecting folks at risk in our peaceful community for a large profit."
Nexus CEO Michael Donovan has condemned the event as racist. "Nexus will stand against white supremacist and war mongering organizations that seek to destabilize our country and promote hate and intimidation against immigrants and minorities," he told Newsleader last month.
"Just because they wanna stand up for something, a lot of times they're automatically labelled as evil. They're labelled as racist," said Gary Sigler, a member of the Maryland III% Peoples Militia who plans to provide armed security for the event. "The presumption that people set out, the attacks people put out without actually finding out who they are can damage people. It doesn't damage me. It just makes me fight harder against that."
Sigler says the armed security element is meant to keep the rally peaceful and safe.
"We're exercising our Second Amendment right to carry tomorrow," Sigler explained. "The last thing we want to happen tomorrow is it turning into something it is not. This rally is meant to be peaceful."
Verona Sheriff Donald L. Smith met with leaders of the group Friday afternoon, who he told that he intends to protect their First and Second Amendment rights.
"You all may say something I don't agree with and you'll never know it. I'm not trying to infringe on anything," Sheriff Smith explained.
Sheriff Smith expressed concerns about the presence of sticks, shields, or masks.
"That would not be our people," said Larry Lewis, the organizer of the event and leader of the Ghost Squad militia. "That'd be antifa."
Neither the Sheriff's Department or the activists are aware of any specific counter-demonstrations.
The event will be livestreamed on the News2Share Facebook page, Saturday from 11am to 2pm: https://www.facebook.com/N2Sreports/