Until Saturday, I had never heard of the United Constitutional Patriots, probably because I don’t live near the southern border. But they’re a group that has just made national news.

The UCP is a small group from New Mexico whose sole goal is to protect the US-Mexico border. Their modus operandi is simple: patrol the border, find illegals, and hold them until the Border Patrol shows up. Most recently they detained over 300 people in the Sunland Park, NM, area.

Here’s a feature story about the United Constitutional Patriots which a local television station broadcast earlier in the month. What’s particularly shocking is how open the border is in parts of the Sunland Park region, which lies between Texas and Mexico.

But, of course, as with all things dealing with illegal immigration, they’ve come under fire from people who never met an illegal immigrant they wouldn’t admit into the US. So on Saturday, the FBI arrested UCP leader Larry Hopkins, aka “Johnny Horton,” a 69-year-old who named himself after a long-deceased country singer. In a statement, the FBI claimed they were arresting him for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammo. Hopkins had been arrested in Oregon in 2006 for impersonating a police officer and illegally possessing firearms.

The real Johnny Horton with Elvis. Credit: Ninian Reid @ flickr. CC by 2.0.

Hopkins is indeed a rather, shall we say, “dubious” character. He claims to be getting tips “from the very top of the government,” although he doesn’t provide proof. Hopkins also says he and President Trump are buds:

“When I was doing music, I met Trump and his first wife when he had the casino in Las Vegas, and I played there numerous times. OK? That’s how I knew him. And Trump and I have kept in touch ever since.”

Okay then.

There’s also Hopkins’s efforts to fundraise for the United Constitutional Patriots — some $5000 in recent months. And he makes his donation pleas USING ALL CAPS in run-on sentences on a Facebook page:

“PLEASE DONATE WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW THAT OUR GOVERNOR SAID WE HAVE NO SAY IN NEW MEXICO AS CITIZENS,NOW SHE HAS FORCED THE HANDS OF NEW MEXICO CITIZENS TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS AS CITIZENS, WE ARE THE ONLY DEFENCE AND OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PROTECT YOU TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.”

But then there are those people to whom I previously referred: those who pretend they “want to protect the border,” but do everything they can to thwart efforts to do so.

Like the country of Mexico. Its Foreign Relations Ministry said it had “deep concerns” about “militia groups” at the border:

“These types of practices can drive human rights abuses of people who migrate or request asylum or refuge in the United States.” 

Um, then maybe Mexico could do more to keep these “migrants” away from the border?

The office of NM Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham released this statement:

“They have absolutely not been authorized by our office or any other. We are actively working with the AG’s Office, state police and local police to determine what has gone on and what can and will be done. That migrant families might be menaced or threatened in any way, shape or form is completely unacceptable.”

And of course the ACLU went into hysterics, calling the United Constitutional Patriots a “fascist militia organization.” They also called the UCP “kidnappers,” and wrote to Gov. Grisham and NM Attorney General Hector Balderas:

“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.” 

However, Jim Benvie, a spokesman for the UCP, maintains:

“We get along great with Border Patrol. They get along with us. We work together, and yadda, yadda, yadda.”

The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle.

I highly doubt that the United Constitutional Patriots are “fascists” or “kidnappers.” I think they truly believe they’re protecting the border. However, Larry Hopkins/Johnny Horton seems to be a sketchy character whom I wouldn’t trust to protect my property. Nor would I send any donations his way.

However, what kind of reaction do you expect from people in the Southwest who feel threatened by illegal immigrants? American citizens living near the US-Mexico border have witnessed a crisis beyond their wildest nightmares. Just last month nearly 93000 illegal immigrants flooded the border, and almost 98% remain in the US. They see drug traffickers and human smuggling. Yet Congress will not fix the problem. 

The United Constitutional Patriots may not be the ragtag border patrol you want. But it’s the border patrol you get when this kind of crisis reaches a tipping point.

Featured image: cropped photo of border wall at Sunland Park, NM; Anne Adrian @ flickr. CC by 2.0.