Following the detaining of hundreds of migrants at the border this week, the FBI has arrested a member of the armed militia responsible, the New Mexico attorney general’s office said Saturday.
They reported that the detained man, 69, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, is a member of an armed group that detained migrants near Sunland Park, New Mexico.
And according to the statement from the FBI’s Albuquerque field office, Larry Mitchell Hopkins – also known as Johnny Horton Jr. – was arrested on two charges; being in possession of firearms and ammunition, and also on felony charges, too.
A video was released earlier this week which showed migrants being held by militia, United Constitutional Patriots.
However, the footage of the video triggered condemnation from different bodies. Especially the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico which in a letter, also compared the actions of the militia to kidnapping.
The FBI said that on Monday, Hopkins would be making his first appearance in court. However, whether or not he is going to be represented by an attorney is still unknown.
According to the New York Times, some other people expressed their support for the militia with a spokesman for the group saying their actions were legal, “comparing the detention of the migrants to a verbal citizen’s arrest.”