Federal authorities have arrested a member of an armed civilian militia group that has been detaining illegal border crossers at the U.S. Mexico-border in southern New Mexico, according to New Mexico officials.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces on Monday after being arrested Saturday on a charge of possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In a separate statement, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said Hopkins is a member of an armed group of people detaining migrants near Sunland Park, N.M.
“This is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families,” Balderas, a Democrat, said Saturday. He added that the “rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes.”
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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