Enrique Tarrio was greeted by his family, fellow Proud Boys and a crush of reporters at Miami International Airport on Wednesday.
Two days ago, the 42-year-old Cuban American was released from federal prison in Louisiana, where he was at the beginning of a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy.
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WATCH HERE"I love my family, and I'm thankful for President Trump," Tarrio told reporters on Wednesday.
Tarrio was convicted of orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, although he wasn’t in Washington D.C. for the attack itself.
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"Like him or love him, it’s promises made, promises kept," Tarrio said of Trump from his home in Miami.
The Anti-Defamation League defines the Proud Boys as a “right-wing extremist group” that “has actively pursued violence and intimidation as part of its agenda against 'Antifa' and other perceived enemies."
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"We make sure we come out once a month and drink beer with the boys and talk crap," Tarrio said, describing what the Proud Boys do.
And he had choice words for those who call them a hate group.
"I’m gonna tell them (expletive) you, because the truth is, I don’t care how they want or what they think," Tarrio said.
The Center on Extremism says the sweeping pardons may serve to embolden the group – and Miami’s local chapter is set to play a big role.
"Miami is a bit of a hot spot, so to speak, in that even with this march that occurred on Inauguration Day, we saw that it was led by a group of Proud Boys from one of the chapters based in Miami," said Ben Popp, an investigative researched from the Center on Extremism.
As for what’s next for Tarrio himself: "I’m going to enjoy my family, I’m gonna grow with my boys, I’m just gonna be me."
Trump said he thought the sentences handed down were “ridiculous and excessive" – a sentiment Tarrio agreed with, although he did say he did not condone the people who put their hands on police.
