we made several attempts to reach the united constitutional patriots and jim bedknee.hey did not respond saying what they do is legal but in one of the nighttime videos posted by the group the man can be elude to go another tactic he wishes the militia would use. >> we hope we can -- too close to the border. it would save some time, wouldn't it. >> reporter: we reached out to the u.s. border and custom protections. they declined to say anything but they did make this statement to cnn. multiple law enforcement agencies are now investigating. >> our thanks to nick la vensva on that report. >>> breaking news. people have been killed after explosions in sri lanka. the pope has commented. that after the break. >>> high alert after a man showed up with two gasoline cans and a lighter at a st. patrick's cathedral. more on that ahead. ♪ downy unstopables readyaveeno's sheer formulaiant? packed with pure soy evens tone and texture. so skin looks like this. and you feel like this. aveeno® positively radiant get skin happy™ so chantix can help you quit "slow turkey." along with s

. >> reporter: hopkins leads a militia group known as the united constitutional patriots. >> it is anasion. >> reporter: based in sunland park, new mexico, the militia members dress up in camouflage and are armed as they patrol the border looking for migrants who crossed over from mexico. they are known to wear their own badges... >> halto. >> reporter: ...and impersonate border patrol agents. last week, the a.c.l.u. says they detained nearly 300 people. the new mexico attorney general said hopkins is a dangerous felon and that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes. >> right here-- how fast they were. >> reporter: members of the militia group stand behind their leader. >> i am confident that mr. hopkins will be freed, he will fare well. the a.g. has declared war on american citizens, at the order of the a.c.l.u. >> reporter: the united constitutional patriots plan to continue their mission. >> this is why we are here, guys because they can't watch the border when they are busy processing thousands of these people. >> reporter

this is a video posted online by united constitutional patriots.the armed men, wearing masks, dressed in military fatigues -- cnn has not authenticated this video or confirmed the date it was reported, but let me bring in my colleague nick valencia. what do you know about this group and how they're comparing their actions to making a citizens. >> they call themselves the united constitutional patriots. they say they are helping secure the border, and they believe their actions are lawful and compared what they're doing to making a citizen's arrest. not only does one of the members falsely identify themselves as a border patrol agent, he also starts to act like one, too. >> u.s. border patrol, what are you doing? >> the man is not a boarder patrol agent, but he appears to be acting one. here his gives commands to the group, some of whom are children. >> yeah, there you go. >> the clips were posted to jim benvy's facebook post. >> we don't work well with border patrol, by the way. that's the media. they describe themselves as concerned citizens, plug

the united constitutional patriots, they call themselves are stopping migrants crossing into the u.s.patrol agents. in one incident, the group is seen on vid owe holding nearly 300 people. nick valencia is joining us with more on this. this is extraordinary and it's on video tape. tell us more. >> the videos, the clips are posted to media and show this group taking into or intercepting migrants who just illegally crossed the border. this group, this militia group are heavily armed. they are masked and have weapons. you can see on the video on the screen. we have tried to reach out to this group, unsuccessfully. they are saying what they are doing is lawful and equated it to a citizens arrest. in a video we are about to show you, why people are taking exception with the group is because in this video, a member identifies himself as border patrol. he says he is and acts as one as well. >> if you guys are -- could you, here we go. >> we have attempted to reach out to the united constitutional patriots. you may not have heard clearly, border patrol, stop in spanish. sit down. he is giving

69-year-old larry mitchell hopkins was arrested near the park in new mexico where the united constitutional patriotslves have been based. >> a friend of ours from the police department came up and said can you come talk to us for a little bit and that was that. we did not know what to four, not what about. >> he was arrested for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. they said in a statement that this is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families. his arrest by the fbi indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes. announcing an emergency on the facebook page, saying that paypal and go fund me have suspended its accounts, now asking for donations to be sent by check, hopkins, by the way, making his first court appearance right around now in new mexico, bringing you details of that as soon as we get them. >> melissa: jonathan hunt, thank you. the president sues to block the subpoena for financial records of the trump organization, will the lawsuits and subpoenas to be the new norm in washing

the fbi says the man in this photo belongs to a group called united constitutional patriots and he nowes felony charges of possessing firearms and ammunition. nick valencia has this report. >> reporter: u.s. border patrol, what are you guys doing? >> reporter: the man speaking is not a border patrol agent but appears to be acting like one. he gives commands to the migrant group, some of them children which he just intercepted. the clips were posted to the facebook page of a member of the united constitutional patriots a militia group along the new mexico border. >> we don't work well with border patrol. they describe themselves as concerned citizens helping to keep america safe plugging the holes they say for the u.s. border patrol. >> that border patrol is tied up. if we weren't here right now, they could be bringing in bus loads, dropping them over here. and running up the hill. >> reporter: the group's actions have drawn swift con condemnation from the american civil liberties union and others who equated their actions to kidnapping. > this is exactly why we don't let private citize

. >> reporter: the group calls itself the united constitutional patriots, and they are self-describedcitizens, they say that, are helping to secure the border, and they claim that what they are doing is lawful, comparing it to making a citizens arrest, but in videos we're about to show you, one of their members not only falsely identifies himself as a u.s. border patrol agent, he also starts to act like one. >> u.s. border patrol, what are you doing. >> the man speaking in the video is not a border patrol agent but appears to be acting like one and here he gives commands to the migrant group, some of them children. the clip was posted to the facebook page of a member of the united constitution patriots, a militia group along the new mexico. >> we don't work well with border patrol, that's the media. >> reporter: they described themselves as concerned citizens helping to keep america safe, helping plugt holes of border patrol. >> that border patrol is tied up, so if we weren't here right now they could be bringing in busloads and dropping them over here, and -- and running up the hill.

the clips were posted to the facebook page of a member of the united constitutional patriots, a militia along the border. they describe themselves as concerned citizens helping to keep america safe. plugging the holes, they say, for the u.s. border patrol. >> that border patrol is tied up. if we weren't here right now, umm, they could be bringing in busloads, dropping them over here, and running up the hill. >> reporter: the group's actions have drawn swift condemnation from the american civil liberties union and others who have equated the group's actions to kidnapping. >> this is exactly why we don't let private citizens enforce the laws of our country. this is an act of vigilanteism. >> reporter: they've asked federal and state and local law enforcement to investigate. a spokesman said, 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. cnn has been unable to independently verify when and where the clips were shot. we made several

the 69-year-old leads united constitutional patriots. members held migrants in new mexico before turning them over to border patrol. >> we're turn to the deadly weather wreaking havoc in one of the most isolated countries. iran has seen two weeks of rain and flooding that killed at least 76 people and cost $2 billion in damage. we have the story from iran. >> not seen in iran and living memory. opening the floodgates of a crisis affecting some 2 million people. the deluge hittingos a 4.5 thousand cities. 9,000 miles of roads. soldiers, clerics and volunteers clear rubble and distribute supplies.mass evacuations forcif iran's poorest people to seek shelter. this man and his wife have middle to start with and now left with nothing except the clothes on theirback. this looks like a lake, but it's a villageow swalled by the floods and all the farmlands submerged by rain. this woman sws us theremains of her house that her family spent a lifetime of savings to build. her caught the dramatic moment it was washed away on his cell phone. the fami

he leads the united constitutional patriots. last week members of held hundreds of migrants at gunpoint in new mexico before turning them over to border patrol. >>> the song "it remains the same" how notre dame's choir is helping. you are watching "early today." 'y place as clean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha! and sweeper heavy duty cloths lock away twice as much dirt and dust. it gets stuff deep in the grooves other tools can miss. y'know what? my place... is a lot cleaner now. stop cleaning. start swiffering. ♪ here i go again on my own ♪ goin' down the only road i've ever known ♪ ♪ like a drifter i was-- ♪ born to walk alone! keep goin' man! you got it! if you ride, you get it. ♪ here i go again geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. ( ♪ ) only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drille

soros all of which he denies is being claimed hopkins was part of a group called the united constitutional patriots is said to be predominantly comprised of military veterans armed with guns and tactical gear which operates in new mexico claims it has done nothing wrong though in that there is a crisis at the border the lawyer for hopkins also questioned why the f.b.i. only got involved after the videos release the actions of the militia group they have provoked widespread anger. regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone this is reduce should not attempt to exercise the thorough results for law enforcement we do not condone private groups that take in force moves into their own hands interference by civilians in law enforcement could have safety and legal consequences their actions undermine the efforts of our state to keep new mexico families safe this is no place in our state we cannot allow racists armed with to kidnap people seek him asylum. when aussies downhole can discuss the difference between protection and prosecution with international george smoothly and also the pol

billionaire george soros has been alleged that hopkins was part of a group called the united constitutional patriots said to be predominantly composed of military veterans armed with guns and tactical gear and operates in new mexico claimed its mission is to help border patrol guards protect the united states in the past week alone it's detained more than three hundred migrants. they're still counting this is crazy live from straight here in base camp. that. another group claims it's done nothing wrong and that there's a crisis at the border its actions however have provoked widespread outrage regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone this is reduce should not attempt to authority results for law enforcement we do not condone proven groups that take in force went into their own hands interference by civilians in law enforcement could have safety and legal consequences their actions undermine the efforts of our state to keep new mexico families safe this is no place in our state we cannot allow a racist armed to the july to kidnap people sick in the silent. let's cross live our in

called on the government to investigate a group of the july is calling themselves the united constitutional patriots. in iran the cost of recovering from flood damage is expected to be around two and a half billion dollars millions of iranians are rebuilding their lives after the devastating floods a month ago and the same bazaar to report some of. the crisis has come at a bad time for iran shrinking economy has been hampered by u.s. sanctions. iran's government is measuring the cost of flood damage in the billions of dollars for iran's people measuring the cost is also very personal damage shops . broken furniture. even packets of spaghetti. homes have been destroyed shops and businesses damaged everything is gone. now the cleanup the floods left this school filled with mud the goal is to clear up as fast as possible to get the children back into class now this is the kind of thing that will cost time and money to fix if you look over here that metal structure that's connected to the bridge that is a temporary one that had to be put in place when the pressure of the water that was coming through fl

all of which he denies while it's being claimed hopkins was part of a group called the united constitutional patriots it's said to be predominantly comprised of military veterans armed with guns and tactical gear and operates in new mexico it claims its mission is to help border patrol guards protect the u.s. in the past week alone it has detained more than three hundred migrants. their field having this crazy little break here in a camp. thanked for the group does claim it's done nothing wrong and that there is a crisis at the border the lawyer for hopkins also questioned why the f.b.i. only got involved after the video's release the actions of the militia group have provoked widespread anger. regular citizens have no authority there este i did in any way in this individual should not attempt to exercise authority in results for law enforcement we do not condone private groups that take in force went into their own hands interference by civilians in law enforcement could have safety and legal consequences their actions undermine the efforts of our state to get new mexico families safe this is no pla

called on the government to investigate a group of vigilantes calling themselves the united constitutional patriots well earlier i spoke to. who is the stuff attorney with the center for constitutional rights he says militia groups on the border acting with impunity. under normal circumstances any group of citizens who were on our mind and took another group of individuals into custody would be considered kidnapping and potentially drastic terrorism because the trump administration has made it clear that they have no interest in protecting the lives or safety of migrants they're looking the other what i think in two thousand and five they began something called the minutemen project which is a loosely affiliated group of vigilantes over one hundred branches over ten thousand members whose sole purpose is to enact domestic terrorism and violent acts against minorities especially against migrants we've seen a huge uptick in reports of vigilanteism along the texas mexico border texas new mexico border and indeed in california to if it were any other group that wasn't so vowed to an immigrant rhetoric

the government to investigate that group of the july nineteenth calling themselves the united constitutional patriots well and risotto is a south attorney with the center for constitutional rights and he joins us now on skype from new york city angelo just how long has this kind of behavior been going on at the border. since the borders inception going back to the mexican american war the border has been rife with anti migrant anti mexican did you land here as white supremacy in fact when the texas rangers in order to troll found. one of their main goals was to raid the area of mexicans and migrants this is been going on for hundreds of years and enjoyed these and now groups with guns and then now filming the arrests as well. yes under normal circumstances any group of citizens who are on and took another group of individuals in custody would be considered kidnapping and detention address to terrorism because the trouble ministration has made it clear that they have no interest in protecting the lives or safety of migrants they're looking the other way just what kind of an impact has trump's immigrat

called in the government to investigate a group of vigilantes calling themselves the united constitutional patriots for. former peruvian president alan garcia has been buried in lima after taking his life on a wednesday as police arrived to arrest him is the latest casualty of latin america's biggest corruption case one that has so fascinated five former presidents of peru by them a sanchez reports from lima i he planned his suicide in detail just hours before former president ellen garcia would be put to rest his daughters luciana read a fair will letter for his children and all peruvians. know livable. i don't have to accept being humiliated i have seen others walk handcuffed in a miserable existence but alan garcia shall not suffer such injustice and such a circus was. days before he told university students that would possibly be their last class he told his lawyer his gun would save his honor and he sent a message. that this i leave the dignity of my decision to my children a sign of pride to my allies and my body as a sign of my contempt for my adversaries garcia killed himself just days befo

larry mitchell hopkins is the leader of the far-right, pro-trump group calling itself united constitutional patriots, which the american civil liberties union dedescbed as aarmed fascist militia organization his arrest came just days after the aclu accused the united -- the vigilantes of illegally detaining 300 migrants, including young children, near sunland park, new mexico, last week. videos posted on social media showed the vigilantes holding migrants at gunpointnt and . in one of ththe videos uploadedy the united cononstitutional patriotsts, a man is h hea considerining another means ofof dealing with the migrarants. >> t the only proboblem is if we shoot on t the hill, it willll n inteternational crisis. we're too close to the border. it would save some time, though, wouldn't it be? amy: the videos also show militia members praising president trump's border policies and echoing trump's rhetoric about a so-called invasion of migrants. new mexico attorney general hector balderas praised the fbi for arresting larry mitctchell hopkins, the h head of the vigilantnte group. balderas said -- "this is

criminal background for larry mitchell hopkins 69 years old but the border militia group united constitutional patriotsing to his arrest. >> we just started the day sitting outside. police department came up and said come talk to us and that was that. that referred he was arrested we don't know what four or what it was about. >> video show members of the group dressed in military outfits armed with guns they sit on the ground that they call the real border patrol they warned private groups to stop releasing the border with this group in particular insist they play a vital role. >> we are simply out here documenting helping a stressed and over strained border patrol that believe it or not needs our help. you have seen how will we work together. is no issues there we get along great with border patrol so whatever t to a statement regarding the arrest on saturday was released this is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children or families. today's arrest indicates clearly the rule of law should be in the hands of train officials and not armed vigilantes cbp says it does not endorse priva

however, the spokesperson for the united constitutional patriots, they call themselves the patriots group his arrest. he believes he will be cleared. here is jim bendy. >> i am confident that mr. hopkins will be through this -- he will fare well. the a.g. has declared war on american citizens at the order of the aclu. >> sandra: your message to these private groups policing the border as obviously you continue to deal with a surge of asylum seekers. >> this individual will have his day in court and that's why he will have due process for that. again, border security work should be done by border patrol agents. we ask these organizations follow the law and make sure that they are able to possess weapons and doing the right thing, not invading private property and that they operate within the boundaries of the law. now as border patrol agents we appreciate the support the american public is offering us. we need a lot of help and resources. and it is a difficult job and we're trying our best out there. >> sandra: meanwhile we lean on you to give us an update as you could as we start off the

they call themselves the united constitutional patriots.is one of the men with his law enforcement style badge that reads fugitive recovery agent and here is how he sees his role. >> we are simply out here documenting and helping stressed and over strain border patrol that believe it or not needs our help and you guys have seen how well we work together, there's no issues there. we get along great with border patrol. >> reporter: a cvp spokesman told fox news, quote, us customs and border protection does not endorse private groups or organizations taking enforcement matters into their own hands, there could be public safety and legal consequences for all parties involved. the vigilante action comes as cvp reports a surge of migrant families crossing into mexico with 720 migrants detained in one, 24 hour period just this week. shannon: thank you very much. and another illustration of the situation at the border three women and a child crossed illegally from mexico into arizona and walked past a group of 5 congressmen who were there to witnes

they called themselves the united constitutional patriot.s is one of the men, his badge reads fugitive recovery agent. he sees his role -- >> whatever. we're documenting and helping a stressed and overtrained border patrol that believe it or not needs our help. you saw how well we worked together. there's no issues there. we get along great with border patrol. >> a spokesman told fox news, quote, u.s. customs and border protection does not endorse private groups or organization taking enforcement matters into their own hands. interference busy cerulevill -- interference busy ceruleans could have consequences for all involved. a surge of migrant families were crossing to new mexico with 720 migrants detained in one 24-hour period just this week. shannon? >> thank you very much. in another illustration, three women and a child crossed illegally from new mexico to arizona and walked past a group of five congressmen who were there to witness smuggling activity. joining us, the washington examiner's homeland security reported, was there, saw it,

investigators are not releasing any other information but is part of the united constitutional patriots a spokesperson is now reacting. >> we just started the day he did not get arrested at camp. a member of the police department said can you come talk to us for a little bit? that was that. then we heard he was arrested but we don't know what about. >> members of the group earlier dressed in military style outfits. you can see them ordering migrant families to sit on the ground that they call the real border patrol on friday federal authorities warned private group to stop releasing the border but in the video you are about to watch they insist they play a vital role. >> we are documenting helping a stressed and over strain border patrol that believe it or not needs our help. and while we work together there is no issues. we get along great with border patrol. >> actually the attorney released a statement saying this is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families these arrest by the fbi clearly that the rule of law should be in the hand of trained law enfo

they call themselves the united constitutional patriots. this is one of the men, jim benvy. here's how he sees his role. >> we're simply out here documenting and helping a stressed and overstrained border patrol that believe it or not needs our help. you guys have seen how well we work together. there's no issues there. we get along great with border patrol. >> and they say, dana, they're defending america from what they call "an attack on our freedom." dana? >> dana: what are the officials in the area saying? >> they don't want the group detaining anyone. cvp saying u.s. customs and border patrol does not endorse private groups or organization taking enforcement matters in their own hands. interference in law enforcement matters could have public safety and legal consequences. the governor of new mexico issued a statement saying if migrant families are made to feel threatened, that's completely unacceptable and should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone. this vigilante action comes as u.s. border patrol reports a surge of mig

information on the 69-year old, but we know he's a member of the so-called border militia group united constitutional patriots. >> we just started the day sitting outside and he did get arrested. he's a friend of ours from the police permit that came out and said can you come talk to us and that was that and then we heard he was arrested. we did know what for. we didn't know what about. reporter: video earlier in the week shows neighbors of the group ordering migrant families to sit on the ground and wait until border patrol agents arrived at. friday federal authorities warn private groups to stop policing the border but the group insists they are doing their part to help a quote stressed and overstrained border patrol. he's scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court monday. a spokesperson for the militia group says he's confident hopkins will get through this. >> meanwhile, was law-enforcement responding to this? reporter: a day before this arrest authorities told groups to stand down and allowed law enforcement to do their job. new mexico attorney general also released a statement regarding t

so-called commander of the group united constitutional patriots is charged with being a fell on in possessionnd ammunition. videos posted online show armed members of the group detaining migrants including families with young kids. hopkins' attorney said the group believe they're helping border patrol. >> they believe that they are helping to enforce the laws of america on immigration. i mean, that's basically -- it's pretty simple. >> enforcing in what way? helping to -- >> helping to intercept people that they believe are coming across illegally. and getting them to i.c.e.. >> rodney scott is a chief patrol agent for the san diego sector of the border. so rodney, thank you very much for being on with me. and just in your own experience, first off, are these sorts of militias common? have you worked with them? >> so, first, thank you for having me on today. >> sure. >> the situation on the border, the crisis we're facing is just kind of getting worse each day and this is another symptom of that. wherever there's a lot more immediate attention on what's going on, on the border, and rightfully

larry mitchell hopkins is the leader of the far-right, pro-trump group calling itself united constitutional patriots, which the aclu described a as an "armd fascist militia a organization." his arrerest saturday on f fires charges s comes 12 years a aftee was arrested in n oregon for unlawfully imperersonating a police officer. lalast week, videos posted on social media showed members ofof hopkins' mililitia pursuing migrants in new mexico's desert west of el paso, texas, holding them at gunpoint and coordinating their arrests with u.s. border patrolol agents. in washington state, an investigation by the guardian reveals a prominent republican lawmaker held private discussions with far-right figures ababout spying on political opponents and even targeting them with violence. records from the private chat room show state representative matt shea discussed disrupting a planned demonstration by antifascist protesters in spokane with jack robertson, host of the far-right show "radio free redoubt." and also with anthony bosworth, a veteran of the 2016 occupation of the malheur national wildlife refuge by

he's the leader of the united constitutional patriots.gunpoint and handing them over to border patrol. the group posted multiple videos like this one holding migrants in the desert. this caught the attention of the aclu. and peter simonson joins me now. did this come to the attention at all of law enforcement or did you bring it to their attention because i -- i think we can't have vigilante running around even if they're trying to help border patrol, especially? >> that's exactly right. from everything i know, it looks like we were the first to bring it to their attention. our first action was to send letters to federal, state, and local authorities demanding that a criminal investigation be l j launched into their activities. it seems to suggest they were violating various federal and state laws as well as putting women and children and families in harm's way. we wanted very swift reaction. >> was the reaction appropriate as far as your concern? did fbi and other authorities jump into this and take action? >> i think it's a heartening s

to speak of the united constitutional patriots as they call themselves have made no secret of their workos on facebook, showing their members dressed in military fatigues, some wearing law enforcement style badges reading federal refugee -- they have been finding migrants and locations detaining them until real border patrol agents arrived, they have been condemned by the aclu, customs r protection, and the governor of new mexico. over the weekend in a joint fbi police operation, the leader 69-year-old larry mitchell hopkins was arrested near sumlin park, new mexico. near where the group has set up what it calls a base camp. >> a friend of ours from the police department came up and said, can you talk to us for a little bit? that was that. and then we heard that he was arrested, we did not know what for what about. >> he was arrested for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, the attorney general called him a "dangerous felon, who should not be armed around children and families adding that the arrest by the fbi says that the rule of law should be in trained armed offici

you see migrants held, intersected by this group, the united constitutional patriots. secure the border. they believe they are plugging the holes where border patrol can't be. here is the problem. their actions have drawn sweeping condemnation from aclu, state and local officials in new mexico. the video shows why. in this video, they identify themselves as border patrol agent. he says he is one and acting like one, too. [ speaking foreign language ] >> border patrol. if you guys are at camp and you -- here we go. >> we have reached out to the united constitutional patriotsful. you can hear one saying border patrol, misidentifying who he is. we have reached out to them. they have not gotten back to us. they spoke to "the new york times" and describe their actions as lawful and compared them to citizens arrests. i spoke to aclu. they say it's not clear a felony is being committed. there are concerns about safety for the migrants being caught in the cross fire. these individuals are in full military gear, handguns strapped to their sides. some images we have seen of the

we captured this video of police telling members of the united constitutional patriots, that's what theythat they had to leave the camp they set up because the land was owned by the union pacific railroads. the group has been detaining immigrants in what it says in an attempt to help immigration authorities. that would be people taking law enforcement into their own hands against the wishes of town's police chief, major and other officials. they left the area peacefully and told nbc news they were moving to private property a short distance away. cal perry joined me from new mexico. good to see you. what has happened? tell me who this group is and what happened to them since they were ordered to leave the property that you filled them on? >> reporter: this is a group of loosely knit veterans. the wall ends a quarter of mile in that direction which is where they were camped out. th the leader of that group was arrested by federal authorities and taken to jail. news today that he was beat up in jail yesterday. not a very warm welcome for him in that jail. they patrolled this border. the ac

. >> the clips were posted to the facebook page of jim benvy, a member of the united constitutional patriotsgroup based on the new mexico border. >> we don't work well with border patrol. that's the media. >> they describe themselves as concerned citizens helping to keep america safe. plugging the holes, they say, for the border patrol. >> that border patrol is tied up. if we weren't here right now, they could bring in bus loads, drop them over here, and running up the hill. >> the group's actions have drawn swift condemnation from the american civil liberties union and others who have equated the actions to kidnapping. >> this is exactly why we don't let private citizens enforce the laws of our country. this is an act of vigilanteism. we need federal, local, and state authorities stepping in as quickly as possible. >> in a statement to cnn, a spokesman for the new mexico governor's office said this about the militia group. they have absolutely not been authorized by our office or any other, that migrant families might be menaced or threatens in any way, shape, or form is completely unaccept

. >> members of a self-described group the united constitutional patriots are stopping migrants crossingu.s. illegally and holding them for border patrol agents. >> in one incident this week, the group is seen on video holding nearly 300 people. cnn's nick valencia is with us now. you've seen some of this video as well. >> yes. it's pretty shocking video and it reports to show migrants being held or detained by this group and they're described as a militia group that is helping, they say, to keep america safe and in some of these clips you see them wearing full military tactical gear, armed, wearing masks. they say they're working to fill the gaps, plug the holes where border patrol agents can't be. you hear one of these men identify himself as a border patrol agent even though he is not and they're seemingly detaining these migrants, although they have no authority to do so. we've attempted to reach out to the united constitutional operates for comment. they did not rely. they did issue a statement to the "new york times" saying, what they are doing is legal and they're comparing and eq

they call themselves the united constitutional patriots.r, jim ben v, talking as he patrols part of the border. >> we are simply out here documenting and helping a stress and overstrained border patrol that, believe it or not, needs our help. you guys have seen how well we work together. there are no issues there. we get along great with border patrol. they get along with us. we work together, yada yada yada. whatever. >> the aclu has written to the governor of new mexico saying, "the trump administration's vile racism has emboldened white nationalists and fascists to flagrantly violate the law. 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," while the governor issued a similar self, saying, "if migrant families are made to feel threatened, that's completely unacceptable and it should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone." of intellect the action

>> known at the united constitutional patriots and were essentially taking the law into their own handsssed in camouflage and carrying rifles at the new mexico border, with mexico, and taking in asylum seekers, mainly people crossing the border, and detaining them. the group says they detained 5,600 immigrants telling them to sit down and be quiet. for people who cross the border, they don't know what our border patrol are supposed to look like. that the men in blue stop them coming through a checkpoint or the men in green if coming between economic points and certainly wouldn't know how to perceive someone dressed in camouflage. these are videos that this group posts of all of these immigrants obeying them, not only because of their uniform but because of the fact they are armed. it's illegal, and the border patrol has said they do not appreciate this. this is illegal and should not be doing that, but accomplish shay mainly of veterans. militia. responding to rhetoric and trying to take them into their own hands but it's obviously illegal and now this man arrested. >> one of the more d

the united constitutional patriots, as they call themselves, who have set up the so-called base camp, intercepting and detaining migrants across the border, have now moved on after cbp officials said they should leave the law enforcement to those qualified to do it. the ucp leader, who you will remember was arrested at the beacon, larry hopkins, is due back in court next week, melissa. on those firearms charges he faces. >> melissa: jonathan hunt, thank you. eight people injured after a driver plowed into a group of pedestrians on a sidewalk another california. many of the victims suffered serious injuries. the youngest of them, just 13 years old. that happened last night in sunnyvale. that's outside of san francisco. witnesses say the black sedan showed no sign of slowing down. investigators say the driver may have done it on purpose. >> it looks like it might have been an intentional act. all that is under investigation at this time. all of the eight patients have been transported to local hospitals for treatment and evaluation. we do know that the range of ages is the youngest so f

mexico's governor and attorney general calling for an investigation, the aclu called the united constitutional patriots an "armed fascist militia organization," adding -- "the trump administration's vile racism has emboldened white nationalists and fascists to flagrantly violate the law." in nicaragua, police arrested dozens of protesters wednesday as they took to the streets demanding that president daniel ortega step down. it's been one year since anti-government protests erupted in nicaragua. human rights groroups say y at t 324 people have been killed in clashes involving anti-government protesters, police and pro-government militias. this weeeek nicaragua's governmt said it had released more than 600 prisoners as a gesture to opposition groups, but activists said only a small fraction of those released were political prisoners. mali's prime minister resigned thursday along with his entire cabinet as public protests mounted over the government's inability to stem ethnic violence. last month, armed men killed 160 people from a fulani community, asas rights groups warned of mounting militia killings

>> so we're talking about a group called the united constitutional patriots. they were camped out about a quarter mile in this direction. we can roll some video of what they put online. they basically track migrants as they come across the new mexico desert and then they hold them in place. this is where legally it gets really funny really fast because the aclu will tell you that's tantamount to kidnapping. authorities over the past few months have been trying to figure out a way to get this group to move off this land. yesterday what we saw were officials from the railroad company coming to the actual campsite where there were only three individuals left were camped out. they were told they had 30 minutes to leave and pack up their stuff and go and they did. we've been scouting this area and have not seen them. we're not sure where they are. but they told me before they left that this would stay in the area, stephanie. >> the group's leader though recently arrested? >> he went to jail. actually ail little bit of news this morning, he was beat up in jail yeste

. >> the united constitutional patriots say they are simply doing their part to enforce u.s.igration laws. in 60 days they claim they've captured roughly 5600 migrants who illegally entered the country to human rights activists they're a group of gun-toting vigilantes. >> these are the kinds of videos you're accustomed to seeing of terrorists groups in the deserts of afghanistan. >> the executive director of the aclu of new mexico worries migrants are being subjected to violence and abuse not seen on video. >> just makes your heart sink to see human beings and particularly children exposed to this kind of threat. >> new mexico's governor and attorney general denounce the militia next week while the border patrol warn them about interference by civilians in law enforcement matters. >> somebody call border patrol. >> simonson claims militia members who often wear badges are impersonating federal agent, but only one has actually been arrested. 69-year-old commander larry hopkins who also uses the alias johnny horton jr. >> this country was built on three thing, guns and god. >>

the united constitutional patriots have set up the base camp and videoed themselves intercepting ande now moved on after cbp officials said they should leave law enforcement to those qualified to do it. the ucp leader, larry hopkins, is due back in court next week on the firearms charges that he faces. bill. >> bill: thank you, jonathan hunt in l.a. today. thanks. >> sandra: we're waiting the president's departure from the white house happening at any moment now heading for atlanta for an opioid summit. we'll see if he makes remarks to reporters when he departs the white house. he is leaving on several big headlines on the day including how the 2020 field could get even bigger. let's bring in the a-team. david asman from fox business network. mo elleithee, fox news contributor and brad blakeman former deputy assistant to george w. bush george w. bush. got that on in there. the president could be leaving soon. what do you expect? will he make any comments on the news of the day? of course, in addition to everything happen with sri lanka, the f.b.i. on the ground there. he and his team

they call themselves the united constitutional patriots. >> we are simply out here documenting and helpingr help. you guys have seen how well we work together. okay, there is no issues there. we get along great with border patrol. they get along great with us. so whatever. speak >> the aclu has said the p administration file racism have emboldened white nationalist and fascist to flagrantly violate the law. this has no place in our state. we cannot allow racists and armed vigilantes to kidnap and detain people seeking asylum. we urge you to immediately investigate this atrocious and unlawful conduct while the governor issued a statement herself saying "if migrant families are made to feel threatened, that's completely unacceptable, and it should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone." now, the vigilante action comes as the border patrol reports a surge of migrants crossing into new mexico with 720 migrants detained in one 24-hour. just this week. the governor withdrew national guard troops from the border there, saying that president trump's c

this is about patriotism as our founders said at the time the times has found us now to support our democracy on our oath of office and constitution of the unitedstates. we always say it's the most crucial and they just keep getting more crucial but this is important. 2018 was important to give us leverage numbers to counter what was happening but any of those candidates would be a great gret president of the united states. >> we are out of time thank you for joining us. [applause] thank you for making the conversation possible and stay tuned for more information the next playbook interview from republicans on capitol hill decidedly a different view than yours today if you're not subscribed, text 6866 to sign up. have a great day. [applause] >> washington times political editor joins us after the senate failed to move forward on certain nominees. remind us what senate republicans are proposing to change and why did tuesday's vote fall short? is to change in the amount of time that can be demanded for debate once a filibuster has been surmounted on a presidential nominees, a

patriotism. as our founders said the times have found us now. to support our democracy and honor our oath of office. in the constitution of the united states. the most say this is crucial election of all time and they keep getting more crucial. to counter what is happening in the white house. we have to win that election. anyone of those candidates would be a great president. >> speaker pelosi, we are out of time. [applause] thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure. --y tuned >> stay tuned for more information and stay tuned for our next interview with republicans on capitol hill. if you are not subscribed to playbook sign up. [applause] thank you. >> thank you. >> all this month on c-span we will feature winners of our studentcam student documentary competition. students rated videos about what it means to be an american. our second prize winners are 11th graders at jenks high school in jenks, oklahoma. their winning entry is titled " the american rat race." >>