A member of the armed militia at the border accused of arresting arrested migrants in New Mexico



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A neo-Mexican man belonging to a group of militiamen accused of arresting migrants along the US-Mexico border under firearms was arrested on Saturday for indictment of possession of firearms by a gunman. criminal, announced the authorities.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, was arrested in the border community of Sunland Park with the help of local authorities, the FBI said in a statement. Hopkins was a member of the group of migrants in the region, New Mexico's Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a separate statement.

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Hopkins "is a dangerous criminal who should not have weapons around children and families." The arrest today by the FBI makes it clear that the rule of law must be between the two. the hands of qualified security forces, not armed militiamen, "Balderas said.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, aged 69, was arrested on Saturday following a criminal complaint accusing him of being a criminal in possession of firearms and ammunition, announced the authorities.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, aged 69, was arrested on Saturday following a criminal complaint accusing him of being a criminal in possession of firearms and ammunition, announced the authorities.
(Dona Ana County Detention Center)

The militia group, which calls itself the United Constitutional Patriots, released this week several social media videos showing armed civilians arresting large groups of families from Central America to New Mexico. -Mexico. A video showed the group holding about 200 asylum-seeker migrants under threat of arms until the arrival of the US Border Patrol agents, the New York Times reported.

The goal of the group is to monitor the border until President Trump fulfills his promise of a fence wall or until Congress passes tougher legislation to make it more difficult for refugees to seek asylum. migrants, spokesman Jim Benvie told The Times on Thursday.

In a video, Benvie said the group members were attending a "stressed and overworked border patrol" and said the group is legally armed to defend itself and never targets migrants. Posted videos do not show them with guns fired.

Customs and border protection says on Twitter On Friday, he "does not endorse or condone private groups or organizations that handle law enforcement issues. Any interference by civilians in law enforcement affairs could have negative consequences for public security and justice for all parties involved. "

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Groups of armed civilians have been an integral part of the border for years, especially when a large number of migrants arrive. But unlike in the past, many migrants who are now crossing are children. Last month, unaccompanied families and children accounted for 86% of the arrests in the El Paso area.

Little information has been published on Hopkins' antecedents. The FBI said it came from Flora Vista, a rural community in northern New Mexico, located about 56 km north of Sunland Park in the suburbs of El Paso, Texas. The Times and other media have named Hopkins Group Chief.

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FBI spokesman Frank Fisher told The Associated Press that no further information would be released before Hopkins' appearance in federal court on Monday.

Hopkins was enrolled at the Dona Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces.

Danielle Wallace of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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