Monday, May 20, 2019

'We're going to stay here': Armed 'Patriots' group has new base of operation near border

Photo: MARK LAMBIE / EL PASO TIMES
The armed group that was kicked out of its campsite near the border fence in New Mexico has a new base of operation and a new name, but its mission is the same: "Helping Border Patrol."
"Nobody who's been on the border left. There's been no breakup. Everyone is still here," said Jim Benvie, spokesman for the newly named Guardian Patriots.
During an interview on a patio outside a restaurant in this border town, Benvie reiterated that the group formerly known as the United Constitutional Patriots is not a militia, but "volunteer patriots" who are concerned about a crisis created by the influx of migrant families.
The organization attracted the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, which called on the state attorney general and governor to investigate whether its members were holding migrant parents and children at gunpoint.
Mark Lambie / El Paso Times
"We're continuing to work with our state and local partners and the investigation is ongoing," said David Carl, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. Benvie said his group isn't breaking any laws.
"You can try to manufacture we're breaking laws, but the fact of the matter is we're here and we're going to stay here and the hell with them," Benvie said.
The Guardian Patriots have a new campsite on private property, but for safety reasons they do not want to reveal the location, according to Benvie.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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