MIAMI — Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio arrived back in Miami on Wednesday after he was pardoned this week by President Donald Trump.
Tarrio was one of four members of the far-right group found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May 2023 for their role on the attack at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
WATCH BELOW: Enrique Tarrio arrives at Miami International Airport
The Miami native received 22 years in prison, the longest sentence of anyone connected to the riot.
Prosecutors said he created a new chapter of the Proud Boys called the Ministry of Self Defense. Then he worked with other people to gather para-military gear and met with the leaders of other militia groups in a parking garage before the attack.
When he was asked by a crowd of reporters at Miami International Airport if he had any remorse, he replied, "Absolutely not."
The far-right group leader was not in Washington for the attack on the Capitol, but he was arrested and ordered to stay away from Washington, D.C.
Tarrio was one of about 1,500 defendants in the riot who had their sentences pardoned or commuted by Trump on Monday.
WATCH BELOW: Enrique Tarrio says he has no remorse for Jan. 6
An attorney for Tarrio issued a statement which read in part: "We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities."
Reporters surrounded Tarrio as his defense attorney, Nayib Hassan, pushed him through the crowd to a Black SUV parked outside the airport.
Also, at the airport for Tarrio's arrival was Gabriel Garcia, another Jan. 6 defendant and Proud Boys member from Miami.
Garcia said they wanted to find retribution through the legal system against the members of Congress on the Jan. 6 Committee.
"That means we're going to go ahead and sue them for what they have done and destroy lives for over four years," Garcia said.
In an interview with WPTV's affiliate station WTVJ, Tarrio reiterated Garcia's aims to create consequences for other individuals.
"My mom went through hell," Tarrio said. "And the people who did that to her, justice needs to be served, legally, through the court system and they need a taste of their own medicine just to show them what they put us through."
Tarrio said he wasn't surprised by the pardons. He said he started counting down the days for Trump to take office.
"I started seeing in different colors that day because there was hope," he said.
Tarrio said he doesn't know if he has any immediate plans for himself or the Proud Boys.
U.S. Rep. Louis Frankel, D-Fla., told WPTV she "disagreed" with the pardons in a virtual interview on Tuesday afternoon. She said she hid in the Capitol building for four hours during the protest where the Department of Justice said about 140 police officers were assaulted.
"I wouldn't call that patriotism on the part of the mob," Frankel said. "I would call it patriotism on the part of the very brave officers who tried to protect us that day."
The congresswoman said she was in "shock" during the attack and tried to find a gas mask.
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York expressed similar sentiments after the pardons were announced Monday night.
"What happened on Jan. 6 was wrong," Lawler said. "It never should have happened, and I believe those that committed acts of violence and certainly against police officers should always be held accountable."
Tarrio said he wouldn't condone people attacking police officers, but he said the process was unfair because the jury was biased.
