Federal lawsuit filed against Arizona anti-immigrant groups

Members of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups known to protest and harass Christian Arizona churches that aid immigrant families on behalf of the federal government were sued Tuesday by a national organization that monitors extremist and hate groups.

The lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center against several members of Patriot Movement AZ and AZ Patriots seeks unspecified punitive damages and asks a federal judge to order them to stop their practices. The lawsuit says the groups conspired to violate the churches' civil rights, defamed the pastors and trespassed on private property.

The SPLC and pastors from various Phoenix-area churches say members of the group accused church leaders of human and sex trafficking, trespassed on private property and refused to leave until police arrived. It also claims they secretly recorded immigrant children who were playing outside.

They contend the groups' actions made it more difficult to recruit volunteers and led to some churches to cut back on helping.