Ammon Bundy has upset many of his supporters with his comments about the migrant caravan that is seeking asylum in the U.S.
Bundy has been a symbol of the militia movement. He and his father led a protest on their family ranch in Nevada. Ammon Bundy was also one of the organizers of the occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.
But now he has alienated many in that movement with comments about the migrant caravan at the southern border.
On his Facebook page, Bundy made comments that called for compassion for the plight of those people, and also took issue with President Trump's handling of the issue.
“He has basically called them all criminals and said they are not coming in there, at least that’s what I’ve seen,” Bundy said.
Bundy said to try to portray all the refugees as criminals is wrong.
“What about the fathers and mothers and children who come here and are willing to go through the process to apply for asylum so they can come into this country and benefit from not having to be oppressed?” Bundy asked.
He also wrote that “We have been asked by God to help, to be welcoming, to assist strangers, not to vex them.”
In a follow-up phone interview with Salt Lake City's ABC-TV affiliate KTVX, Bundy said that his comments have stirred up the wrath of many in the militia movement.
“I received comments I wish we or the militia would have let the government kill you,” he said.
In an interview with the website Buzzfeed, Bundy said he believes President Trump is a nationalist, someone who “makes the decision that best benefits the nation, not the individual." He added, “That is not freedom, and not what America was built on.”
Ammon Bundy has since shut down his Facebook page, and announced he was cutting ties with patriot groups.
