Were anti-immigrant flyers circulated by DFW group considered free speech or a crime?
The flyers dropped around north Arlington earlier this month said "Keep America American."
They urged people to report undocumented immigrants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A video posted by Facebook user Ben Franklin showed two men after they allegedly distributed the material.
Now, after investigating the June 5 incident for the last two weeks, Arlington police said no charges will be filed.
"The investigation did not reveal any criminal offense at this point," said Sgt. Karen Standback.
It hasn't just happened in Arlington. Patriot Front tweets have shown flyers and banners being distributed around the country.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Patriot Front was was formed in late August 2017 by Texas members of Vanguard America.
The group "espouses racism, anti-Semitism and other types of hatred under the guise of preserving the 'ethnic and cultural origins' of their European ancestors," said Carla Hill, a senior investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
"Because of their Texas roots they are very active there," Hill said "They are particularly active in cities such as Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and San Marcos. They are also active outside the state of Texas --in states such as California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington."
Since the group’s inception, the ADL has recorded 187 incidents in which Patriot Front propaganda has been distributed around the country with 47 in Texas and nine in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"In most cases, the distribution of propaganda is legal, and protected under free speech," Hill said. "In some cases, it can be considered vandalism or littering."
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as a "far right splinter group born from the fallout over Charlottesville" led by Thomas Rousseau, 19, who attended Coppell High School.
The Texas Observer reported that Rousseau had drawn the attention of the FBI in May 2017, while he was still a student at Coppell High School. Emails obtained by the Observer said Rousseau and three white men had left posters with language used by "white supremacy extremist" on area campuses.
In the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, the Seattle Times reported that similar incidents have occurred but police said there was little they could do unless it was placed along the side of the road where it would be considered littering.
The flyers distributed in Arlington advertises the website bloodandsoil.org, which belongs to Patriot Front.
The term "blood and soil" dates back to philosophies supported by the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1920s.
The report includes information from the Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Were anti-immigrant flyers circulated by DFW group considered free speech or a crime?."