A member of an armed group stopping migrants at the border was arrested by the FBI

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Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, is a member of an armed group that reportedly arrested migrants near Sunland Park, New Mexico, state attorney general Hector Balderas said in a statement.

Hopkins – also known as Johnny Horton Jr. – was arrested for the crime of possession of firearms and ammunition, according to the newspaper. a statement from the FBI Field Office in Albuquerque.

Earlier this week, online videos aimed to show migrants detained by a militia known as the United Constitutional Patriots, before being delivered to the US Border Patrol.

The film prompted the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico to condemn this action, which in a letter equated the action of the militia to an abduction.

"It's a dangerous criminal who should not have weapons around children and families," Balderas said. "The arrest today by the FBI makes it clear that the rule of law should be in the hands of qualified law enforcement officials, not armed groups."

Hopkins is scheduled to appear in court Monday, the FBI announced. CNN was not able to determine Saturday when he was represented by a lawyer.

CNN solicited the comments of the United Constitutional Patriots, but received no response.

A spokesman for the group previously said their actions were legal, "comparing the detention of migrants to" the verbal arrest of a citizen, "" according to a New York Times report.

Videos show gunmen wearing masks and fatigues

Various groups of private militias – often defending anti-immigrant ideas – have patrolled the border for years, but it is rare to see footage of an armed group arresting migrants on the US side of the border.

Videos would be aimed at showing members of the group holding migrants, including families with children, who have just crossed the border.

CNN contacted the group and the people who posted the videos for comment, but did not confirm details about who shot the videos, when and where they were recorded.

In the video, we can see people wearing full military fatigues with handguns tied to the side, gloves and black masks. Armed men order the migrants to stop, force them to sit on the ground, and then appear to call the border patrol to recover the migrants.

In at least two videos posted on the group's Facebook page, a lattice man verbally identifies as "border patrolman" when arresting a group of migrants.

A US Customs and Border Protection spokesman declined to comment on the United Constitutional Patriots and online videos, but said the agency "does not approve or tolerate private groups". 39, organizations taking law enforcement actions ".

Catherine Shoichet of CNN, Rebekah Riess, Deanna Hackney, Geneva Sands and Paul P. Murphy contributed to this report.

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