Members of Arizona anti-immigrant group settle federal lawsuit
PHOENIX — Some members of an Arizona anti-immigrant group have agreed to stop harassing Phoenix-area churches as part of a lawsuit settlement.
Four members of AZ Patriots cannot trespass on the churches’ property or obstruct people coming and going.
The terms were revealed in a consent decree filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix.
The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the suit in June on behalf of five Christian churches, their senior pastors and a local nonprofit.
The defendants also cannot verbally or physically harass anyone or use amplifying devices like megaphones.
They must also remove any published statements claiming the churches engage in sex trafficking or harbor fugitives.
The churches have been helping federal immigration authorities who don’t have the resources to deal with the soaring number of migrants seeking asylum.
