Jake Lang, a Republican Senate candidate and Donald Trump pardon recipient, has drawn widespread criticism after proposing that members of the far-right Proud Boys should be “deputized” to “bounty hunt” migrants in the United States.
Lang, who plans to challenge Senator Marco Rubio for his Florida seat, made the controversial statement during an interview with Newsweek. He argued that extremist groups could help enforce immigration laws, saying:
“I would deputize the Proud Boys and the January 6 Patriots to bounty hunt illegal immigrants.”
The Proud Boys, founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, co-founder of Vice Media, are an all-male, far-right organization known for violent street confrontations and extremist views. The group describes itself as “Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world,” advocating for closed borders, an end to welfare, and traditional gender roles.
Expanding on his remarks, Lang said:
“We would offer a bounty and work with local sheriffs to give legal access for these people to join en masse and work alongside federal law enforcement — providing tips, information, and making arrests of illegal immigrants.”
The Proud Boys were among the groups involved in the January 6 Capitol riot, and have maintained close ties to pro-Trump extremism. During a 2020 presidential debate, Trump’s controversial comment — “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by” — was widely interpreted as encouragement to the group.
Lang himself was accused of taking part in the January 6 insurrection, though he was never tried. He was later pardoned by Trump as part of a mass clemency order that included nearly 1,600 individuals.
His comments come amid rising political tension over immigration enforcement in the U.S. Following recent ICE raids in major cities, the Department of Homeland Security faced backlash for releasing a social media video showing immigration arrests edited with the Pokémon theme song and the caption “Gotta Catch ’Em All.”
In response, The Pokémon Company International issued a statement confirming it had no connection to or approval of the video.
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