The FBI arrested a member of a right-wing militia that detained migrants at southern border

(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

last updated 22 April 2019

The FBI arrested a member of a right-wing militia on Saturday in New Mexico, just days after his armed group, The United Constitutional Patriots, detained more than 200 migrants who illegally crossed the United States' southern border into New Mexico.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, of Flora Vista, New Mexico, was charged with alleged unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. The United Constitutional Patriots reportedly posted videos of its members detaining the migrants and coordinating with U.S. border patrol agents to take them into custody. The New Mexico attorney general's office described Hopkins as a "dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families," but it is unclear if his arrest is directly related to the detentions.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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