[ad_1]
The leader of a militia operating along the southern border was arrested by the FBI a few days after the armed group arrested more than 200 migrants who had just illegally moved to New Mexico.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, of Flora Vista, New Mexico, was arrested on Saturday for criminal charges in possession of firearms and ammunition, the FBI bureau in Albuquerque said.
Hopkins was arrested in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on the border with Mexico and only 12 km northwest of El Paso, Texas.
(KVIA) Jim Benvie, spokesman for The United Constitutional Patriots, has spoken with KVIA, an ABC affiliate in Texas, Texas, about the arrest of group leader Larry Hopkins, the Saturday, April 20, 2019."It's a dangerous criminal who should not have weapons around children and families," said Attorney General of New Mexico, Hector Balderas, in a statement. "The arrest today by the FBI makes it clear that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed groups." d & # 39; self-defense. "
The group's spokesman attacked Balderas and New Mexico's governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for the arrest.
"I'm confident that Mr. Hopkins will be doing well," militia spokesman Jim Benvie told El Paso ABC KVIA's subsidiary, while wearing a red "Trump 2020" hat. "The [New Mexico] AG declared war on US citizens on the order of the ACLU, ordering the governor, in a sense, to effectively find a reason to withdraw private citizens from the assistance and documentation of the case. a crisis at the border. It's a shame that she can not use the resources of the National Guard, or even the FBI, if it were necessary, to protect the border. Instead, they had to infiltrate and set up our camp, and we are confident about our position in this regard.
"We are not worried about it, it does not change anything," he added.
Hopkins was convicted of impersonating an officer and possessing firearms in 2006, according to the Daily Beast.
He runs a group called The United Constitutional Patriots, which states on his Facebook page that his mission is to "uphold the Constitution of the United States of America."
"We defend this cause against all enemies, both foreign and national, who would infringe on the rights of citizens recognized by the Constitution," he said. "We are here to serve when needed locally and nationally and if necessary for our country."
Benvie regularly uploads videos to his Facebook page showing the group's actions on migrant detention.
The group caught the eye Tuesday when it arrested over 200 migrants under threat of firearms after their arrival in the United States, near Sunland Park. The group was retained by the militia until US Border Patrol agents reacted and detained them.
(AP Photo / Eric Gay) In this November 3, 2018 photo, members of the US Army were building a barbed wire fence around tents near the US-Mexico International Bridge in Donna, Texas.A spokesman for the group told KVIA that the group never points a gun at the migrants and that they are not obliged to stay.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately declared itself against the action and blamed it on the president's rhetoric.
"The villainous racism of the Trump administration has encouraged white nationalists and fascists to flagrantly violate the law," the ACLU said in a statement. "This has no place in our state: we can not allow armed and racist armed militias to kidnap and detain people who are seeking asylum."
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on behalf of the Government expressing "deep concern over the intimidation and extortion activities of migrants by militia groups on the New Mexico".
The group wrote Friday on its Facebook page that Paypal had definitely suspended his fundraising account.
Matthew Fuhrman, Ben Jimenez and Josh Hoyos of ABC News contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link