Simone Lawson
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing unofficial militia group that gained national attention in the United States in April 2019. The group's base was previously located at the home of its head, Larry Mitchell Hopkins (aka Johnny Horton, Jr.), in Flora Vista, a small community in northern New Mexico. In April 2019, Hopkins was arrested by the FBI in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on charges of illegal firearm possession. Following his arrest, the UCP changed its name to the Guardian Patriots and established a new campsite on private property near the New Mexico border. Led by Jim Benvie, the group continues to operate in the region, monitoring immigrants and detaining migrants crossing the border.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Flora Vista, Farmington, New Mexico |
| Type of base | Home in a trailer park |
| Number of militia members | About 20 |
| Owner | Larry Mitchell Hopkins (aka Johnny Horton, Jr.) |
| Activities | Detaining alleged illegal immigrants |
| Other names | Guardian Patriots |
| Campsite | Sunland Park, New Mexico |
| Campsite owner | Union Pacific |
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What You'll Learn
- The United Constitutional Patriots' home base is in Flora Vista, New Mexico
- The group's leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, was arrested by the FBI
- UCP spokesman Jim Benvie left to form the Guardian Patriots
- The UCP was kicked out of its Sunland Park, New Mexico camp
- The group was banned from crowdfunding platforms like PayPal and GoFundMe
The United Constitutional Patriots' home base is in Flora Vista, New Mexico
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing unofficial militia group. The group's home base is in Flora Vista, New Mexico, in a trailer park in a small community near Farmington. The group's leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, who uses the pseudonym Johnny Horton, Jr., had his home in Flora Vista raided by the FBI in 2017. The FBI seized at least nine firearms from his residence, which was the base for about 20 UCP members.
The United Constitutional Patriots gained national attention in the United States in April 2019 due to their activities in New Mexico. The group set up a border camp in Sunland Park, New Mexico, to monitor and detain migrants crossing the border. Videos posted on social media showed armed UCP members in military fatigues detaining migrants, including families with children. The ACLU called this activity "kidnapping."
The United Constitutional Patriots were evicted from their Sunland Park camp in April 2019 after it was revealed that they were camping on land owned by the railroad company Union Pacific without permission. The group's spokesman, Jim Benvie, stated that the organization planned to remain on the border until stronger immigration laws are enacted.
In May 2019, the group changed its name to the Guardian Patriots after being banned from crowdfunding platforms such as PayPal and GoFundMe. The Guardian Patriots established a new campsite on private property near the border but refused to disclose its location due to safety concerns. The group continues to operate in New Mexico, with Benvie insisting that they are not a militia but "volunteer patriots" concerned about a border crisis caused by the influx of migrant families.
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The group's leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, was arrested by the FBI
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing unofficial militia group based in Flora Vista, New Mexico. The group's founder and leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, was arrested by the FBI in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on April 20, 2019. The arrest was made on the grounds that Hopkins, a convicted felon, was in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Hopkins, 69, was the leader of an armed militia that patrolled the US-Mexico border in Sunland Park. The group came to national attention in April 2019 after posting videos showing armed men in military fatigues detaining migrants who had just crossed the border into New Mexico. The videos sparked outrage, with many accusing the group of kidnapping and racist behaviour.
Hopkins had previously been convicted of impersonating a police officer in 2006. The FBI received a tip about "alleged militia extremist activity" connected to Hopkins and discovered weapons at his residence in 2017. He was also indicted on charges of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in San Juan County, New Mexico, in November 2017.
Following Hopkins' arrest, the UCP camp in Sunland Park was told to move by the Sunland Park Police Department and the railroad company that owned the land. The group's crowdfunding accounts with PayPal and GoFundMe were also frozen, hindering their fundraising efforts. The arrest of Hopkins sent a clear message that the rule of law should be upheld by trained law enforcement officials and not armed vigilantes.
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UCP spokesman Jim Benvie left to form the Guardian Patriots
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing unofficial militia group based in Flora Vista in northern New Mexico. The group came to national attention in the United States in April 2019 due to its activities detaining migrants at the US-Mexico border. The group's leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, was arrested by the FBI in April 2019 on charges of illegal firearm possession.
In the wake of Hopkins' arrest and amid growing criticism of the group, UCP spokesman Jim Benvie left to form his own militia group, the Guardian Patriots. Benvie announced the group's name change in a live video stream filmed on a patch of land near the US-Mexico border. He cited attacks on the UCP as the reason for the change. The UCP lost about half of its members following Benvie's departure.
Benvie, a native of Minnesota, had previously served as the spokesman for the UCP's "Border Ops". He advocated for Trump's proposed border wall and echoed the president's anti-migrant rhetoric, claiming that there were "very dangerous people" attempting to cross the border. Benvie and the UCP gained notoriety for posting videos of armed men in military fatigues detaining migrants, including families with children. These videos led to the group being banned from crowdfunding platforms such as PayPal and GoFundMe.
Following his split from the UCP, Benvie was arrested in Oklahoma and indicted in New Mexico on charges of impersonating a border patrol official. He was also facing a fraud charge in Oklahoma for allegedly running a child cancer charity scam. Benvie remained in federal custody pending a detention hearing in Oklahoma, with his full trial scheduled to take place in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
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The UCP was kicked out of its Sunland Park, New Mexico camp
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing militia group based in Flora Vista, New Mexico. The group made headlines in 2019 for detaining migrants crossing the border into New Mexico and posting videos of these encounters online. The group's activities sparked controversy, with the ACLU calling the detentions "kidnapping". In addition, several crowdfunding websites banned the UCP from their platforms due to violations of their terms and conditions.
The group's leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, also known as Johnny Horton, Jr., was arrested by the FBI in April 2019 on charges of illegal firearm possession. The arrest took place in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where the UCP had established a border camp on land owned by the railroad company Union Pacific.
Following Hopkins' arrest, the Sunland Park Police Department and Union Pacific representatives told members of the UCP that they would have to move their campsite by Friday of that week. The city of Sunland Park posted "No Trespassing" signs in the area, and Union Pacific issued a statement saying that the UCP had not been given permission to access or camp on their property. The group had allegedly set up their camp adjacent to Union Pacific property and trespassed on railroad land to access it.
The eviction from the Sunland Park camp occurred on April 22, 2019, and was carried out by Union Pacific officials. It came just a few days after the arrest of Hopkins, who had claimed to be the "commander" of the group. Despite being kicked out of their Sunland Park camp, the UCP, now renamed the Guardian Patriots, vowed to remain near the border. They established a new campsite on private property, the location of which they kept secret due to safety concerns and death threats received by some members.
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The group was banned from crowdfunding platforms like PayPal and GoFundMe
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing unofficial militia group based in Flora Vista, a small community in northern New Mexico. The group's base was previously at the home of its head, Larry Mitchell Hopkins (aka Johnny Horton, Jr.), in a trailer park in Flora Vista. Hopkins was arrested by the FBI in April 2019 on charges of illegal firearm possession.
The UCP gained national attention in the United States in April 2019 for detaining alleged illegal immigrants in New Mexico. They posted videos on social media showing armed men in military fatigues detaining migrants who had just crossed the border. The ACLU called this activity "kidnapping." The group's spokesman, Jim Benvie, stated that they were there "to support the Border Patrol and show the public the reality of the border."
In April 2019, members of the UCP set up a border camp in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on land owned by the railroad company Union Pacific. They were told to vacate the campsite by the Sunland Park Police Department and Union Pacific representatives, as they were trespassing on private property.
Following the controversy surrounding their activities, the United Constitutional Patriots were banned from crowdfunding platforms like PayPal and GoFundMe. A PayPal spokesman, Justin Higgs, stated that the organization was found to have violated their user agreement, and their account was canceled. Similarly, GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy confirmed that a UCP campaign had been removed for violating the platform's terms and conditions.
After being banned from crowdfunding sites, the group changed its name to the Guardian Patriots. The Guardian Patriots have a new campsite on private property near the border but have not disclosed its location due to safety concerns. Despite the name change, the group's activities continue to attract attention and support on social media.
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Frequently asked questions
The United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) is a right-wing militia group based in Flora Vista, in northern New Mexico. In April 2019, members of the group set up a border camp in Sunland Park, New Mexico, until they were told to leave by the Sunland Park Police Department.
The United Constitutional Patriots is a right-wing unofficial militia group. They gained national attention in the United States in April 2019 for detaining alleged illegal immigrants. The group's activities have been deemed controversial, with the ACLU calling their actions kidnapping.
The head of the UCP is Larry Mitchell Hopkins, who uses the pseudonym Johnny Horton, Jr. Hopkins was arrested by the FBI in Sunland Park in 2019 on the grounds that, as a felon, he was in illegal possession of firearms.
After being evicted from their camp in Sunland Park, the group changed its name to the Guardian Patriots. The Guardian Patriots have a new campsite on private property, but the location is undisclosed for safety reasons.
