Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint

[Arkansas Granny]

ALBUQUERQUE — A right-wing militia group operating in southern New Mexico has begun stopping groups of migrant families and detaining them at gunpoint before handing them over to Border Patrol agents, raising tension over the tactics of armed vigilantes along the border between the United States and Mexico.
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Professed militias have long operated along the border with attempts to curb the flow of undocumented migrants into the United States. But targeting the recent influx of families, who are legally allowed to request asylum and often quickly surrender to Border Patrol agents, is raising tension with human rights activists in this part of the West.

The American Civil Liberties Union denounced the militia’s actions in a letter on Thursday that asked New Mexico’s governor and attorney general to investigate the group. The A.C.L.U. said the militia had no legal authority under New Mexico or federal law to detain or arrest migrants in the United States.
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In a statement, Hector Balderas, New Mexico’s attorney general, said: “These individuals should not attempt to exercise authority reserved for law enforcement.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/us/new-mexico-militia.html

Here's another article:

ACLU Condemns ‘Vigilantes’ Who Are Allegedly Detaining Migrants On The Border

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico on Thursday called for state authorities to investigate a small group of armed U.S. citizens who they alleged is illegally detaining migrants entering the United States.

The United Constitutional Patriots, who claim to be mainly military veterans, have been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border near Sunland Park, New Mexico, since late February in search of illegal border crossers.

They post near-daily videos showing members dressed in camouflage and armed with semi-automatic rifles holding groups of migrants, many of them Central American families seeking asylum until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive to arrest them.

The small volunteer group says it is helping Border Patrol deal with a surge in undocumented migrants but civil rights organizations like the ACLU say it is a “fascist militia organization” operating outside the law.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/united-constitutional-patriots-detain-migrants_n_5cb9664ee4b06605e3ed3778

Why aren't these "patriots" being arrested for kidnapping and terrorizing? Surely none of these actions can be legal.

[dameatball]

1. This has been disturbing to me for a while. Originally, these so-called Patriots were allowed to

act as extra sets of eyes for legitimate law enforcement entities. That was their soft entry into claiming some type of legitimate presence. Now they are acting as their own organized enforcing units. This is dangerous and illegal. With all due respect to our military veterans, what difference does it make if "The United Constitution Patriots" claim to be mainly military veterans. Who cares? They are still ordinary citizens with no official police powers.

These are armed gangs. My belief is that there are a significant number of these guys who have invested heavily into their armaments and would be only too happy to use them at some point.

Can you imagine if they were mostly black or latino?

[Volaris]

2. 'well-regulated', my ass.