Thread: No authority: New Mexico governor tells militia to stop arresting migrants at border

'No authority': New Mexico governor tells militia to stop arresting migrants at border

"It should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone," New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham .

April 19, 2019, 12:21 PM PDT
By Suzanne Gamboa

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday lashed out at members of a militia group who are stopping migrants at the border, declaring "regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone."

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has demanded that Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas investigate the militia organization, United Constitutional Patriots. Some of the group's members are armed.

"That migrant families might be menaced or threatened in any way, shape or form when they arrive at our border — often times after an unimaginably arduous journey — is completely unacceptable," Lujan Grisham said in an email to NBC News.

"It should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone," she said. "My office and our state police are coordinating with the Attorney General's Office and local police to determine what has gone on and what can be done."

Balderas warned in a statement that "these individuals should not attempt to exercise authority reserved for law enforcement," he said.

The ACLU of New Mexico raised the alarm about the arrests in a letter sent Thursday to Lujan Grisham and Balderas.

The letter said that on Tuesday members of the group arrested nearly 300 people near Sunland Park, New Mexico. The ACLU posted excerpts of the letter on its website with video that appeared to have been made by one of the militia members.

“The Trump administration’s vile racism has emboldened white nationals and fascists to flagrantly violate the law,” the ACLU said. “This has no place in our state: We cannot allow racist and armed vigilantes to kidnap and detain people seeking asylum. We urge you to immediately investigate this atrocious and unlawful conduct."

According to Reuters, the group, made up mainly of veterans, has been patrolling in the area near Sunland Park since late February. They've been posting videos almost daily of members in camouflage and armed with semi-automatic rifles holding asylum-seekers who have crossed the border until Border Patrol arrives to arrest them.

Kevin McAleenan, acting Homeland Security secretary, said in a March 27 visit to El Paso, Texas, that Border Patrol did not help from “civil society groups” in policing the border, Reuters reported.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...grants-n996516

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

'No authority': New Mexico governor tells militia to stop arresting migrants at border

Kevin McAleenan, acting Homeland Security secretary, said in a March 27 visit to El Paso, Texas, that Border Patrol did not help from “civil society groups” in policing the border, Reuters reported.

It appears BP and our own military could use a little help McAleenan.


Mexican Soldiers Question, Disarm Two U.S. Army Troops in Apparent Confusion About Border Location, Incident Documents Reveal

The armed men swiftly approached the U.S. service members, crossing over from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River into U.S. territory, ordering the soldiers out of their vehicle at gunpoint.

After the encounter, the service members notified CBP agents. The two U.S. Army soldiers informed their chain of command about CBP agents not responding to their location until roughly 10-12 minutes after the incident.

https://www.newsweek.com/mexican-sol...-about-1401939

"They Killed Us": Crowdfunding Sites Have Cut Off An Armed Militia Detaining Migrants

Governor's have "no authority" to harbor, aid and abet illegal aliens and A.G. Barr needs to get off his duff and start prosecuting them for blatantly defying our Federal Immigration & Visa Laws. Go after the Judges who are letting them go out on our streets to murder, rape and kill us! This is out of control.