FBI arrests man who vowed violence to stop migrant 'invasion' at Texas-Mexico border

The FBI arrested a Tennessee man Monday for illegal firearm possession after he said he wanted to "stir up the hornet's nest" at the Texas-Mexico border by using bombs or by acting as a sniper to stop what he called an "invasion" of migrants, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and obtained by the American-Statesman.

Paul Faye had discussed plans as early as October 2022 to join forces with far-right militia members at the border, according to communications the FBI discovered when it arrested another man for conspiring to kill Border Patrol officers.

"The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded," Faye reportedly said. "We are being invaded."

Faye had stockpiled multiple AR-15 rifles, numerous firearms and "a large amount of ammunition," the FBI found, and he discussed planting explosives at the border on several occasions. The bureau charged Faye with possession of an unregistered silencer, a felony.

News of Faye's arrest comes as Texas pushes ahead in a monthslong standoff between the state and the federal government over the record-high number of unauthorized migrant crossings, which Gov. Greg Abbott has formally declared an "invasion."

More than a dozen Republican governors came to Eagle Pass, a Texas border town of about 29,000, on Sunday to express their support for Abbott, with Arkansas and Tennessee officials pledging to send their state National Guard troops to the border if needed.

A convoy of hundreds of people also traveled from Virginia to the Texas-Mexico border last week as part of the peaceful "Take Back our Border" convoy. Former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and conservative musician Ted Nugent joined the convoy in Dripping Springs, about 25 miles southwest of Austin, to support the group and rail against the Biden administration's handling of the surge in migrants.

The federal government is "actually sanctioning an invasion," Palin alleged before praising the convoy's members for what she said was a means of "taking our country back."

More: In Eagle Pass, Greg Abbott and GOP governors strike familiar themes about border unrest

After Faye's arrest, Democrats, who for years have condemned Republicans' highly charged rhetoric on immigration, renewed their criticism and called on GOP officials to lower the temperature. In a news release, the Texas Democratic Party referenced an admitted white supremacist's massacre of 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019, which the shooter said was spurred by a desire to dissuade Hispanic people from coming into the U.S.

"Texas Republicans' border rhetoric has already led to bloodshed in border communities, as their dehumanizing language and encouragement of violence continue to activate extremists nationwide," the state Democratic Party wrote in an emailed statement. "MAGA Republicans in power continue to spew racist lies about migrants and delegitimize Border Patrol and the federal government."

Abbott's office did not respond to a Statesman request for comment.

Arrest follows monthslong investigation of Faye, violent felons

The FBI began investigating Faye, 55, after obtaining the phone of Bryan Perry, who previously has been charged with violent felonies and is a member of the self-styled "2nd American Militia," after a shootout with federal agents led to Perry's arrest in October 2022. Faye had said he wanted to join Perry and another individual to "commit acts of violence" at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the criminal complaint.

An undercover FBI agent first contacted Faye in March 2023. Faye believed the federal government was planning to "take on its citizens," the complaint paraphrased, and that it was admitting undocumented immigrants into the country to aid in that effort.

Faye claimed to have contacts with militias in Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, and he said he intended to meet with "Alpha," an individual who could provide explosives. "He can go under the kitchen sink and come out with napalm," Faye reportedly said of the man.

Faye implied killing Border Patrol officers was part of the plan, the complaint said, when he told the FBI agent that he could obtain a bulletproof vest at the border. "If you can’t find them (beforehand), I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some laying around after a while, ya follow me?” he said, according to the complaint.

In January 2024, Faye showed two undercover agents his "war room" at his home in Cunningham, Tenn., where he kept "numerous firearms," including an AK-47 and several AR-15s, as well as "a large amount of ammunition, radios, and a bulletproof vest," according to the complaint. The only firearm listed as unregistered is an AK-47 silencer.

In a motion filed Monday to request a detention hearing, the U.S. attorney general for the Middle District of Tennessee, Henry C. Leventis, noted that the firearm possession charge "follows the Defendant’s planning over the course of eighteen months to travel to the border and commit acts of violence against migrants and federal law enforcement."

The complaint did not list evidence that Faye had traveled to the border, and he was not charged for conspiracy, threats or intent to kill. Faye indicated one of his main goals was “to stir up the hornet’s nest” at the border and generate media attention to draw further support, the complaint said.

Faye's son, who was present during at least one meeting between an undercover agent and his father, told NBC News on Wednesday that his father is a "compulsive liar" and suggested he had no intent to follow through on these plans.

“They think my dad is a terrorist,” Joseph Faye, 30, said. “He’s not a terrorist. He talks a big game, but it’s all lies.”

A preliminary and detention hearing for Faye is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at the Tennessee Middle District Court in Nashville.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: FBI arrests Tennessee man for violence threat at Texas-Mexico border