Americans arresting other Americans for protecting the country from an unprecedented wave of illegals is illegal now.
On Saturday, the FBI arrested the leader of a group that claims to be “assisting” United States Customs and Border Patrol in apprehending illegal immigrants along the United States-Mexico border.
Reuters reports that the FBI took Larry Hopkins, also known as “Johnny Horton,” into custody in New Mexico, “on a federal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.”
Hopkins is the leader of the United Concerned Patriots, who have been “camped out on a rotating basis” along the United States southern border near Sunland Park, New Mexico. The group isn’t new to the area; a small band of militia members has been stationed in Sunland Park since mid-February.
What is new, however, are complaints. New Mexico state government announced last week that it was cracking down on the group after photos and videos emerged of them rounding up and detaining migrants who crossed the border under the nose of border patrol agents. The videos, which UCP posted itself, show the group capturing illegal immigrants, cordoning them off, and then ordering them to “stop, sit down, and wait” until the CBP arrived to handle the situation.
UCP claims to have “arrested” more than 5,000 migrants since taking up residence at the New Mexico-Mexico border in mid-February.
The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency says it “does not support citizens taking law enforcement into their own hands,” according to Reuters, and instead encourages Americans living along the border to alert law enforcement when they see suspicious activity.
CBP also says that it warned UCP Friday to stop undertaking border interdictions, according to local media, or they could face problems from the federal government.
“Interference by civilians in law enforcement matters could have public safety and legal consequences for all parties involved,” CBP said in a statement posted to social media.
In response to the videos and UCP’s claims, New Mexico’s governor and attorney general ordered a halt to UCP’s “operations, and the ACLU, which calls the group a “fascist militia,” pressured sites like PayPal to stop allowing UCP to raise funds for its work.
“This has no place in our state: we cannot allow racist and armed vigilantes to kidnap and detain people seeking asylum,” the New Mexico ACLU said in its own statement issued ahead of Hopkins’ arrest.
The FBI says Hopkins was taken peacefully and that his arrest stems from a similar arrest in Oregon in 2006, where he was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and being illegally in possession of a firearm.
UCP told media that it plans to continue its work until it is officially disbanded, and that it continues to receive support, despite having no access to PayPal or fundraising sites like GoFundMe.
U.S. border patrol authorities have repeatedly said they are unable to handle the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border since late 2018, and are asking for funds from the federal government to help alleviate a dearth of personnel and resources. Although most pro-immigration activists now recognize that the CBP is overwhelmed, they blame the Trump administration for allowing the situation to reach crisis levels along the southern border.
Src: The Daily Wire
All for them only holding for border officers. If congress did their job they would not be helping
This is BULLCRAP THEY dont need to seek asylum if they would stay in their own damn country when they cross our border they become criminals men women or children and a criminal exspecially a desperate criminal is capable of anything. Deputize everyone that wants to round them up and let them thin out the heards.
Mr. Horton is a better man than I, I wouldn’t be rounding them up, and there would be a lot less.
with any movement, we see people who have their own agenda. just as we have demonstrations against government injustice that turn into mob riots to destroy property and rob as they may.does that invalidate the movement? the government wants us to think so. they will find one person that works to protect the border that condemns the militia yet takes the illegals when captured without complaint. have we heard of any killed by militia? had it happened it would be front page news and run for weeks along with demands for gun control——-Grampa
He should sue Shumer and Pelosi for failure to address the Immigration crisis and endangering local citizens.
When Congress will not attempt to do their job and Protect the Citizens of the USA … it is acceptable that Patriot Citizens to take up arms and Defend our Borders ! The man needs a medal not incarceration !
This is disgusting when patriotic Americans are doing what this underfunded and misguided government has failed to do for years. By that I mean giving our country away to illegal migrants who come here to take advantage of every free thing they can get at the taxpayers expense. When you come here legally, the process requires a sponsor, health scan, learning English and about our Government, and expect them to abide by our Laws! Do that, and we will welcome you to our country! Come any other way and you’re ILLEGAL!
that’s what the 2nd is for so we can help protect our country from being invaded they should be grateful for the free help especially being they have not hurt anyone
There is still a large presence of the Left Wing Nut Socialist Democraps in congress, and the main offices in New Mexico are also invaded by the Left Wing Nut Socialist Democraps. And all of them are trying to turn New Mexico into Old Mexico. People wake up and quite voting these Democraps into office, or we will lose our country to their dictatorship and then we will have no freedoms, or constitution. The only thing that will be in control is all of the criminals from the gutters all the way up to the Dictator.
Police are paid to do what every citizen has the right and responsibility to do with the exception of serving felony warrants. Any citizen who witnesses a crime may make an arrest (citizens arrest). Law enforcement is responsible for taking custody with the understanding the citizen files an affidavit and will show up in court for prosecution.
True Americans protecting our boarder. Taxes will be raised. True Americans will be left homeless Black and White. This is not a racist thing. They are protecting our way of life.
CBP should be THANKFUL that someone is helping them to stem the illegal immigration tide since Congress is NOT doing its job!! Once the wall goes up and immigration reforms are enacted, ALL illegals need to be rounded up and deported! NO EXCEPTIONS! They can re-apply legally!
Those that went after this American should now go after the Mexican soldiers that crossed over and ordered our soldiers to disarm. Since when does the Mexican soldier have authority over our men? What the men of that militia did is something that should be encouraged as there are not enough others to do the job now that it’s out of hand. I think as long as they don’t be rough with them it’s a good thing that they are there.
When the volunteers do a better job than the “Professionals” the Government is going to give them trouble.
By censoring comments you are not preserving freedom you are taking it away
And a half dozen Mexican soldiers on OUR side of the border just jumped several American soldiers with aimed combat assault rifles and took away their military weapons before the disappeared back into Mexico. WTF are we coming to when this is allowed to happen unchallenged by Our Government?
The FBI is way out of line and all wrong on this arrest
AMEN!! What the American people need to do is sit on the JURY when the people ask for a jury trial is find them “NOT GUILTY” and impose a “FINE” PLUS COURT COSTS AND PENALTIES ON THE US GOVERNMENT i.e THE fbi FOR FALSE ARREST AND PAY A RESTITUTION FOR ANY TIME “AMERICAN PATRIOTS” HAVE BEEN DETAINED FOR PROTECTING AMERICA!!
And just how are they “racist”?- These are ILLEGAL people coming across the border are illegal! Nothing racist about it! You want to read a very good article about what Obama has done to this country? Read “How Obama Fundamentally Transformed the United States” written by Paul Kengor @ 2018 EWTN News. Inc. I know he was the worst President ever by his immorality! And again, not even a legal president!
First, it is not the Trump administration that is responsible for this, it is the Do Nothing Dems whos entire goal is to block anything Trump promised and got elected on so they can say – See he didn’t keep his promises. But the American people are not fooled, we see who is trying to defend us and who is only interested in defending their own personal power bases. So the NM Governor and the ACLU conspire to stop free Americans exercising their rights to defend their country, but first working to deny them access to social media and funding sites then by arresting their leader to intimidate the group into towing the PC line. They would do well to remember that it was the Militia that played a huge role in this countrey’s formation and can be again. If the Dems will not do their job, then the American citizens will. It is our families (you know the ones not living safely behind armed security guards and tall walls with monitored gates) who are the ones in danger. We will remember this when election day comes around!
New Mexico: Don’t want to live there, don’t ever want to visit.
Something bad wrong here and it is NOT the UCP. The border patrol should welcome the help. I see this as the equivalent of holding someone who was breaking and entering , until law enforcement arrives. I think the analogy is very close , as to entering illegally ( breaking ??? )
There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents a convicted felon from owning, carrying or using a firearm of any kind after they have served their sentence! Militias are legal under the Constitution for the protection of the state! The FBI did not enforce the law, they violated the law!
it’s the dems/commies in new mexico that don’t want anything to stop the invasion.
No good deed goes unpunished.
We need another couple hundred thousand Armed Militia men down there to stop these freeloaders. The article says these people are seeking asylum. I call B.S. !!!! They are coming here for the handouts ! They heard about the $135 BILLION that the Commie-Bolshevik-Zio-Nazis pay out to their predecessors every year, so they are coming to join in the looting. They read the ads in their hometown newspapers to just get here and cross the border, and there will be people here to tell them where the nearest welfare office is. And now it seems that they are either sick to begin with, or are being infected on the way, because the video you see of them all shows they are all COUGHING. Are they being used as a bio weapon ? Are they being sent here to spread a pandemic ???? What diseases are they being allowed to bring here ? The border patrol should be very thankful for any help they get from WE THE PEOPLE, because if this isn’t ended soon, there will be BILLIONS MORE FLOODING OVER THE BORDER–SOON !!!
It’s only 3:55 am here on the east coast of USA. How come the time stamp on the previous comment says 7:55 am ? How come there is a 4 hour difference ?
Seems to me that if you have people who are willing to volunteer and willing to help the sensible thing to do would be to check ’em out, deputize them, and accept the help. It’s an established fact that the border patrol is way undermanned and this bunch of jerks in congress have no intention of helping.
I’ve been thinking the same thing. Deputize them. The U.S. gov’t wouldn’t have to pay them. By deputizing them, they would be able to do the job and garner more public support to keep them in the field without expending the limited CBP resources. Sounds like a win-win for controlling illegal alien invasion. Of course, demotards don’t want to stem the flow of illegal aliens.
You people in NM need to get rid of the lefty liberals that run the state. Remember this come election day.
Since when is a Citizen’s Arrest illegal? Qualifying crimes include “crimes committed in a citizen’s presence and crimes a citizen is reasonable assured the crime was committed. As far as his weapon’s charge goes, if he’s a past felon, he may not possess a firearm (although a strict reading of the Constitution doesn’t carry that disclaimer, the NFA of 1934 did, and to many that act was unconstitutional).
I think we need more militia groups to help stop the invasion of America. These groups are giving up their families and all to help the border Patrol to stop illegals from coming in undetected. They are not hurting anyone just holding them for BP. We need more brave men to stand up because our government want. Stop giving illegals money and they will stop coming
It is Trump’s fault? What a laugh. He has tried everything to stop the flow but the dems stop him, one way or another. Time for reasonable people to take charge since nothing is being done by Congress. Thank you to them for being willing to try to protect our country.
For the love of God leave these people alone. It sounds as if they are doing a great job preventing illegals from entering our country! I think the people at the border need all the help they can get. In case everyone has forgotten,we are being over run with illegals. These people are entering our country by the thousands. Once they get here, for some reason the Democrats have made the American people responsible for them. It matters not that it’s against our laws.They take our money and all means of helping people and give it to the illegals instead of helping the thousands of Americans that need help. We have so many homeless people that could use some help,we have thousands of veterans that could use help , our country needs roads and bridges repaired and the list goes on! Still the Democrats continues to take in all the illegals and then completely support them. We need to keep out all illegals that come in the wrong way and deport all illegals that are already here. They are not our responsibility-it isn’t right that we are forced to support them. So I feel anyway and anybody that can help keep these illegals out should be allowed to do so!
If this children’s game continues with the government allowing these illegals to breach our borders with no end in sight a lot more patriots will be at the border stopping these cockroaches from entering the U S . This same problem has infested Europe . The melting pot is boiling over. This man did nothing wrong and should be praised for his organizations work and it’s free , we are spending billions of Americans Tax dollars and getting no bang for the buck. It’s time to be forceful at our borders, we owe no peoples anything.