In recent years, there have been growing reports of paramilitary groups and xenophobic activists surveilling the US border with Mexico, working to intercept undocumented people trying to cross into the United States. The groups in New Mexico have previously presented themselves as “volunteers” aiding border patrol and and supporting Donald Trump.[...]
Several livestream videos posted by Benvie to Facebook in April documented some of the actions of the Guardian Patriots in New Mexico. One video 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: “There’s no border patrol here. This is us.”[...]
Stephanie Corte, an immigrant rights campaign strategist with the ACLU in New Mexico, told the Guardian on Monday that the video evidence was clear and she was glad officials finally responded: “I feel relieved for any of the migrants who might be coming through right now … These vigilante groups are very, very dangerous. They don’t care for the constitutional rights and basic human rights of migrants.” [...]
The ACLU in New Mexico described the group as “an armed fascist militia organization” made up of “vigilantes”, saying they were working to “kidnap and detain people seeking asylum” and had directly made illegal arrests and held migrants at gunpoint.
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