Militia member arrested for detaining immigrants

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he FBI has arrested a member of an armed militia that had detained hundreds of migrants at the border this week, the New Mexico attorney general's office said Saturday.

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, 69, is a member of an armed group that had reportedly detained migrants near Sunland Park, New Mexico, state Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement.

Hopkins -- also known as Johnny Horton Jr. -- was arrested on felony charges of being in possession of firearms and ammunition, according to a statement from the FBI's Albuquerque field office.

Earlier this week, videos posted online purported to show migrants being held by a militia known as the United Constitutional Patriots before being turned over to US Border Patrol.

Hopkins is expected to make a first appearance in court on Monday, the FBI said. CNN was unable to determine Saturday whether he was represented by an attorney.
CNN has reached out to the United Constitutional Patriots for comment, but has not heard back.

A spokesman for the group previously said their actions were legal, "comparing the detention of the migrants to 'a verbal citizen's arrest,'" according to a report from The New York Times.

Various private militia groups -- often espousing anti-immigrant views -- have patrolled the border for years, but it's rare to see footage of an armed group detaining migrants on the US side of the border.

Videos purported to show members of the group detaining migrants, including families with children, who have just crossed the border.