Thread: Trump's army: More than 300 asylum seekers surrender to armed militia of 'New Mexico

Trump's army: More than 300 asylum seekers surrender to armed militia of 'New Mexico residents, veterans and ex-cops', after crossing the US border

• Three hundred asylum seekers surrendered to 'United Constitutional Patriots'
• Armed militia group claims to be made up of New Mexico ex-cops and veterans, who patrol the border
• One of the militia, Jim Benvie, recorded a group of migrants trying to enter the US on Tuesday
• The group handed themselves in and Border Patrol arrived to process them
• Benvie has documented the armed militia's encounters with asylum seekers for the past two months
• Border Patrol said it does not condone the group's actions

By Rod Ardehali For Dailymail.com
Published: 12:35 EDT, 17 April 2019 | Updated: 15:39 EDT, 17 April 2019


Hundreds of asylum seekers surrendered to an armed militia of New Mexico citizens last night, after trying to cross the U.S. border.
A group of 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the 'United Constitutional Patriots', a gang of vigilantes who claim to be made up of veterans and former police officers, who then handed them over to border officials.
Video recorded by one of the militia, Jim Benvie, who has been camping out on the New Mexico-Chihuahua border for two months, shows the asylum seekers walking on a dirt road having crossed through a fence gap in Sundland Park, New Mexico.
Video playing bottom right...Click here to expand to full page

+5

+5

A group of 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the 'United Constitutional Patriots', a gang of vigilantes made up veterans and former police officers who then handed them over to border officials

+5



Graphic shows the number of attempted border crossings, according to NPR statistics

The video, which was streamed live on Facebook, shows the asylum seekers giving themselves up to the militia, intending to turn themselves over to Border Patrol.
'I literally walked out and I looked, and all I saw was hundreds of people coming at us,' said Benvie.
Benvie and three other men had been scouting the area Monday night before coming across what the U.S. Border Patrol estimated was 300 migrants.
'We held them there until Border Patrol came,' said Benvie.
+5




+5




Benvie and three other men had been scouting the area Monday night before coming across what the U.S. Border Patrol estimated was 300 migrants

'And once they came then we did what we do, and that's to help Border Patrol get them to the processing van. So, everybody is safe.'
Benvie has documented the armed militia's encounters with asylum seekers for the past two months.
'We're just Americans. We're veterans, we're ex-law enforcement, we're people that care about our national security,' he said.
'We're people that care about our strained Border Patrol.'
Border Patrol said it does not condone the group's actions
United Constitutional Patriots: Border patrol vigilantes

For two months, an armed group of ex servicemen and police officers have been patrolling the New Mexico-Chihuahua border for asylum seekers from central America.
The group describe themselves on Facebook as: 'Americans that believe in the constitution and the rights of every American that will stand up for there rights in unity and help keep America safe.'
Some of the militia cover their faces while dealing with migrants - an the Border Patrol has stated it does not support their work

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-citizens.html

They should process them and bus them DIRECTLY to waiting barges and let the Coast Guard ship them back home!

They were going to turn themselves in to the border patrol anyway so the armed militia only assisted them and made it easy for them.

QAnon-Loving Border Militia Is Run By Ex-Con Who Says He Talks to Trump

Larry Mitchell Hopkins runs an armed civilian group that peddles far-right conspiracies and claims to work with border patrol. He says Trump's asked him about 'Muslim immigration.'
Kelly Weill

04.18.19 6:54 PM ET



Paul Ratje/Getty

An armed militia that pushes anti-immigrant conspiracy theories filmed itself rounding up hundreds of asylum seekers near the El Paso border this week, reigniting controversy over U.S. Border Patrol’s coordination with militia groups.

The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is one of several civilian groups outfitting themselves in camo and patrolling the border with guns.

Video footage from Monday night shows the group standing above hundreds of asylum-seekers, many of them children, who sit on the ground. The group’s footage from another recent night shows two members holding what appear to be semi-automatic rifles, with one member wearing a skull mask. Online, the group produces a radio show where members peddle conspiracy theories like QAnon, and accuse migrants of associating with ISIS.

UCP says it works with Border Patrol, which publicly claims that it doesn’t condone them. And the group’s founder, a conspiracy theorist who was previously convicted of impersonating an officer, claims to be in contact with President Donald Trump.

MEMBERS ONLY
(Subscription required to read this article.)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-...talks-to-trump

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

QAnon-Loving Border Militia Is Run By Ex-Con Who Says He Talks to Trump

Larry Mitchell Hopkins runs an armed civilian group that peddles far-right conspiracies and claims to work with border patrol. He says Trump's asked him about 'Muslim immigration.'
Kelly Weill

04.18.19 6:54 PM ET



Paul Ratje/Getty

An armed militia that pushes anti-immigrant conspiracy theories filmed itself rounding up hundreds of asylum seekers near the El Paso border this week, reigniting controversy over U.S. Border Patrol’s coordination with militia groups.

The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is one of several civilian groups outfitting themselves in camo and patrolling the border with guns.

Video footage from Monday night shows the group standing above hundreds of asylum-seekers, many of them children, who sit on the ground. The group’s footage from another recent night shows two members holding what appear to be semi-automatic rifles, with one member wearing a skull mask. Online, the group produces a radio show where members peddle conspiracy theories like QAnon, and accuse migrants of associating with ISIS.

UCP says it works with Border Patrol, which publicly claims that it doesn’t condone them. And the group’s founder, a conspiracy theorist who was previously convicted of impersonating an officer,claims to be in contact with President Donald Trump.https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-...talks-to-trump

Link in red goes to this by the Southern Poverty law Center

It starts out

Caravan paranoia is tearing the border militia movement apart


November 15, 2018





Nick R. Martin





They’ve wound themselves up to believe all kinds of rumors about the migrant caravan that’s been making its way north through Mexico.



Rumors that it’s filled not just with Central Americans seeking asylum but with people from Venezuela, Nigeria and Syria — even Islamic militants. Rumors that caravan members were secretly trained by the United Nations. Rumors that it’s funded by Jewish billionaire George Soros. Rumors that MS-13 is involved. Rumors of cartels. Rumors of violence. Rumors of death.

--------------------------

So all of the above is conspiracy theory---right?

it continues on about drama within the Constitutional Patriot groups.

I have mixed feelings about this group

#1 If our government was doing their job, it is unlikely these groups would be there
#2 They are at least showing videos of what is actually happening and that is more than I can say for any of the so called media.
#3 I tune out some of their commentary, when they start to thump Trump's chest for him.
#4 From what I have seen they have never in any way interfered with what BP is doing, have never even spoke harshly to a group, and they have spotted some and called BP, who were no where in sight, and the invaders could have disappeared if they were not there.
#5 Are they glory seeking? perhaps some are, but absolutely no more than our politicians who go to the border for photo ops
#6 Is there infighting among the members? don't know, probably is--definitely not unique to this group, government leaders---perfect example.
#7 Are there weirdos and people with a suspicious past history----see #6

I will continue to watch their videos, for the information on the groups and weed out the rest. Even with all the wind noise, and shaky pictures, it is more than we get from the media, and that is a shame!

Top stories


Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint

The New York Times
2 hours ago



'Patriot' group records video of hundreds of migrants entering US

KVIA
2 days ago

Videos appear to show armed militia detaining migrants at US-Mexico border

The American Civil Liberties Union is calling the actions a ‘kidnapping’ and a flagrant violation of the law


Sam Levin in San Francisco
@SamTLevin Email
Thu 18 Apr 2019 19.14 EDT

Armed rightwing militia members detained a large group of migrants at the US-Mexico border and coordinated with US border patrol agents to have them arrested, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, in a series of actions the civil liberties organization called a “kidnapping” and a flagrant violation of the law.

Several videos taken at the border in New Mexico this week appeared to show men belonging to a group that calls itself the United Constitutional Patriots approaching migrant families and children, ordering them to sit down, calling federal agents on them, and at one point potentially misrepresenting themselves by saying “border patrol” as they approached.

“The Trump administration’s vile racism has emboldened white nationalists and fascists to flagrantly violate the law,” the ACLU of New Mexico said in a letter to the state’s governor and attorney general, urging them to “immediately investigate this atrocious and unlawful conduct”.

The ACLU described the group as “an armed fascist militia organization” made up of “vigilantes” working to “kidnap and detain people seeking asylum” and accused the group of directly making illegal arrests.

The group has repeatedly appeared in local news stories in recent weeks, expressing support for Donald Trump’s proposed border wall and presenting themselves as “volunteers” aiding border patrol efforts.

In recent years, there has been a reported surge in paramilitary groups and xenophobic activists having a presence at the border in an effort to target undocumented people.

The United Constitutional Patriots posted several live-stream Facebook videos this week that appeared to detail their activities at the border.

A video posted Monday night by Jim Benvie, a member of the armed group, appeared to show the militia ordering around a large group of migrants, including many children, and telling them to sit on the ground. As he filmed the migrants kneeling in the dirt, Benvie narrated on his video: “There’s no border patrol here. This is us.”

It’s difficult to decipher exactly what’s happening in the dark footage, but border patrol agents eventually appeared in the footage. “We finally got BP here,” Benvie said about six minutes after the footage started.

The ACLU’s letter said the group was targeting nearly 300 migrants in Sunland Park, New Mexico, which is along the Mexico border and adjacent to El Paso, Texas. In the video, the migrants sitting on the ground said they came from Guatemala.

Benvie mirrored Trump’s anti-immigrant language in his videos, saying, “This is an invasion. Gotta build the wall.”

In another video posted Wednesday, Benvie filmed himself stopping a group of four adults and three children and said “border patrol” to them as he approached, before calling for another member of his group to join. The second man who arrived wearing camouflage pants then ordered the migrants to sit on the ground. The men subsequently appeared to call border patrol, with one saying, “Hello, I’ve got seven over here.”

“There’s very dangerous people here. That’s the reason we carry guns,” Benvie narrated on the video just before encountering the group. “This is why we’re here, guys. Cause there’s no border patrol.”

Benvie did not respond to a request for comment.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to answer specific questions about the militia group and its actions, but a spokesperson said in an email that CBP “does not endorse private groups or organizations taking enforcement matters into their own hands”, adding, “Interference by civilians in law enforcement matters could have public safety and legal consequences for all parties involved.”

The CBP statement continued: “Border Patrol welcomes assistance from the community and encourages anyone who witnesses or suspects illegal activity to call 911.”

Peter Ibaro, a spokesman for the city of Sunland Park, was dismissive of concerns about the militia group violating laws.

“As far as we know, they are just observing and reporting,” he told the Guardian, saying, “I think they are just out there exercising their constitutional right.”


United Constitutional Patriots member Jim Benvie, 43, stands in a camper near the US-Mexico border wall in Anapra, New Mexico, on 20 March 2019. Photograph: Paul Ratje/Getty Images

Rachel Lederman, a California civil rights lawyer not involved in the case, said it was illegal for a private citizen to “interfere with somebody’s freedom of movement”, and that in a situation like this, prosecutors could potentially allege “false imprisonment” and “kidnapping”.

The migrants could also have a strong civil case if the state did not file charges, she added.

“There’s an implied threat with the firearms,” she said, adding that if the men were directing the migrants to sit on the ground, “it doesn’t seem that hard to prove, especially if they’re broadcasting videos of themselves”.

The militia members could also potentially face consequences for acting as “unregistered and unlicensed people pretending to be security”, said Michael German, a former FBI agent.

“These videos are very, very heartbreaking,” said Stephanie Corte, an immigrant rights campaign strategist with the ACLU in New Mexico, which has not yet been able to contact the migrants captured on the videos. “They treat these asylum seekers … as less than human beings. They’re taking away their dignity and terrifying them.

They are gathering them all together like they’re animals and holding them there.”

Nora Meyers Sackett, the spokesperson for New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, told the Guardian her office was working with the attorney general to “verify what exactly happened regarding this group”, adding in an email, “If migrant families feel menaced or threatened at all when they arrive at our border, that’s completely unacceptable, and it should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone.”

Families crossing the border are typically coming from Central America and fleeing severe violence and poverty.

The militia action comes amid reports of law enforcement aggressively cracking down on a different class of volunteers at the border – people helping migrants in need. People who have left water for migrants and helped border crossers facing health crises have increasingly faced criminal prosecution.

Law enforcement should intervene and treat the militia actions as a kidnapping offense, said Corte, adding that the solution was not to bring out more border patrol officers, but to stop arresting asylum seekers.

“From the families’ perspective, it’s incredibly traumatizing to have these people who are not law enforcement, who are carrying guns in the middle of the night … rounding them up,” she said, adding that the state needed to “put an immediate stop to this”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...litia-detained

Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint

The New York Times-2 hours ago
Jim Benvie, a spokesman for the United Constitutional Patriots, said in a telephone interview that his group had been camped near El Paso for ...

Armed vigilantes apprehend hundreds of asylum seekers near ...
ThinkProgress-3 hours ago

Armed Vigilantes Detain 300 Asylum-Seeking Migrants, Turn Them ...
Right Wing Watch-4 hours ago

ACLU calls for investigation of armed vigilantes detaining migrants in ...
KOB-57 minutes ago

QAnon-Loving Border Militia Is Run By Ex-Con Who Says He Talks to ...
Daily Beast-2 hours ago

Videos appear to show armed militia detaining migrants at US-Mexico ...
In-Depth-The Guardian-1 hour agoView all




NM militia vows to 'assist the border patrol' until wall is built

Washington Times-Apr 11, 2019
... the border patrol because they are so short-handed,” a 70-year-old man named “Striker,” who leads the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP), ...

Militia Group Pledges To Patrol US-Mexico Border Until Donald ...
Newsweek-Apr 10, 2019

Militia Group to Guard Border Until 'That Wall Is Up'
Newsmax-Apr 10, 2019View all




'Patriot' group records video of hundreds of migrants entering US

KVIA El Paso-Apr 16, 2019
The apprehension of the group was recorded by the United ConstitutionalPatriots, a group of veterans who set up a camp near the U.S.-Mexico ...



ACLU calls for investigation into militia group for detaining migrants

KRQE News 13-2 hours ago
It's in danger, a lot of danger right now," said John Horton, United ConstitutionalPatriots. Now, the ACLU has sent a letter to Gov.



Trump's army: More than 300 asylum seekers surrender to armed ...

Daily Mail-Apr 17, 2019
A group of 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the 'UnitedConstitutional Patriots', a gang of vigilantes who claim to be made ...

Armed US militia in New Mexico catches 300 illegals
WND.com-Apr 17, 2019View all




Armed militia patrolling border near Sunland Park: 'Border Patrol ...

KVIA El Paso-Mar 21, 2019
SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico - The United Constitutional Patriots, a small group composed mostly of veterans, has made its way down to the ...



VIDEO: Hundreds of migrants walk through the night to cross border

KENS5.com-Apr 16, 2019
The video was taken by Jim Benvie, a member of a volunteer group called UnitedConstitutional Patriots. The group has been camping out in ...

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

“These videos are very, very heartbreaking,” said Stephanie Corte, an immigrant rights campaign strategist with the ACLU in New Mexico, which has not yet been able to contact the migrants captured on the videos. “They treat these asylum seekers … as less than human beings. They’re taking away their dignity and terrifying them.

They are gathering them all together like they’re animals and holding them there.”

Nora Meyers Sackett, the spokesperson for New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, told the Guardian her office was working with the attorney general to “verify what exactly happened regarding this group”, adding in an email, “If migrant families feel menaced or threatened at all when they arrive at our border, that’s completely unacceptable, and it should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone.”

Families crossing the border are typically coming from Central America and fleeing severe violence and poverty.

So the ACLU and SPLC and all the open borders crowd are saying shut up, stand down, let the invaders invade, don't even glance at them with a frown, but put a smile on your face, and welcome your own demise.

While I do not agree with everything the Patriots are doing or saying, I'll put them on a higher pedestal then those criticizing them.

I do see how they are probably walking into a trap, because little doubt the ACLU will sue.

Originally Posted by stoptheinvaders

. . . I do see how they are probably walking into a trap, because little doubt the ACLU will sue.

Or some of them end up in jail or prison.
If the leader is an ex-con, as some of the articles claim,
and some of them are caring guns if law enforcement finds him with a gun or someone's gun in his pick up truck he has a real problem.