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FBI arrests militiaman for detaining migrants at US-Mexico border

Sunday, 21 April 2019 4:23 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 April 2019 4:29 AM ]

US Border Patrol agents apprehend undocumented migrants after they illegally crossed the US-Mexico border in Mission, Texas, April 9, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has arrested a man, who is the leader of a militia group, for detaining hundreds of migrants at the US-Mexico border this week.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins has reportedly detained migrants near Sunland Park, New Mexico, State Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement Saturday.

The 69-year-old man was arrested on charges of being in possession of firearms and ammunition, according to the statement.

"This is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families," Balderas said. "Today's arrest by the FBI indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes."

A video posted online purportedly shows migrants being detained by a militia, known as the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP), before they are being turned over to US Border Patrol.

Following the release of the footage, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, in a letter, condemned the militia's action, likening it to kidnapping.

This comes a day after US authorities warned private groups to avoid policing the border following a string of videos posted on social media showing armed civilians detaining large groups of Central American families in New Mexico.

The videos show UCP members ordering family groups as small as seven and as large as several hundred to sit on the dirt with their children, some toddlers, while waiting until Border Patrol agents arrive.

PressTV-100K migrants encountered at US-Mexico border in March

Federal data show US officers arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, a 35 percent increase over the prior month.

Caravans of migrants from Central American countries have been traveling for months through various routes ending up in Mexico to reach the country’s border with the US, where they seek to apply for asylum and settle down.

But the Trump administration has been blocking them at the border with Mexico. Washington has also been separating migrant families or deporting those who have successfully crossed back to their home countries, where they face violence or economic difficulties.

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