Sheriff says ranchers have turned themselves in

Several Republican presidential hopefuls responded on Monday with a careful balance of defense and condemnation to news that armed militia members had taken over a remote wildlife refuge center in Oregon.

Bundy claimed the federally owned wildlife refuge belongs to the people, and that the group is “making a hard stand against… overreach”.

“We will not forget about how important each person is and how that person has the right to live here on this Earth and has the right to live in liberty and has the right to own property and to be able to reap the fruits of their labors”.

The protesters are complaining about the amount of land controlled by the federal government as well as the sentencing of two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond. They say “years”, although the withering mockery the group is receiving on Twitter already seems to be taking a toll.

The latest dispute traces its roots to the 1970s and the “Sagebrush Rebellion, ” a move by Western states like Nevada to increase local control over federal land.

Bundy said their case is a symptom of a “huge, egregious problem”, happening across the country with the government imposing too many restrictions on land use and causing economic harm to local populations.

Following a rally by around 300 people Saturday in the town of Burns, a group of protesters advanced on the federal reserve 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the southeast, where wild horses, pronghorns (an antelope-like mammal) and other creatures roam free.

If the situation turns violent, Bundy contends it will be because of the federal government’s actions.

“Our goal as we have shown is to restore and defend the Constitution”, Bundy said Monday, speaking outside the refuge’s headquarters.

It followed a demonstration in Burns over the imminent imprisonment of local ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond, who were found guilty of setting a series of fires.

The Hammonds served their original sentences, but were ordered to return to prison after a judge decided their stints didn’t meet federal sentencing laws. The protestors holed up inside the refuge – a loose-knit grouping of anti-government farmers, ranchers and survivalists – said they planned no violence but would not rule it out if authorities stormed the site.

A lawyer for the Hammonds was quoted on Monday as saying the ranchers will ask President Obama for clemency.

Bundy told ABC News on Monday that, while he does not speak for the Hammonds, “We have spoken many, many times, and we understand each other on this issue”. That help ended when a peaceful protest became an armed occupation. It said it is the agency in charge and would not release details about the law enforcement response to ensure the safety of officers and those at the refuge. He said he does not think any other parts of the county are in immediate danger.

Meanwhile, the White House echoed concerns that the situation “be resolved peacefully without any violence”, but said it “ultimately is a local law enforcement matter”. “I recall them in Ferguson and Baltimore”, TV host Roland Martin tweeted. But the U.S. Department of Land Management said some grazing hurts habitat and must be regulated.

The Oregon occupation differs from previous standoffs because the militants have occupied a public building, a tactic more commonly used by left-wing extremists, said Mark Pitcavage, who monitors extremist groups for the Anti-Defamation League.