ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Latest on legal proceedings against the leader of an armed group that detained migrants near Mexican border(all times local):
2:35 p.m.
A federal court hearing has reconvened after an evacuation in legal proceedings against the leader of an armed group that detained immigrants at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Attorneys and court officials returned Monday to a hearing for Larry Mitchell Hopkins, who is being held on a weapons charge, after the courtroom was cleared without explanation by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The charge stems from a 2017 visit by an FBI agent to his home in New Mexico.
His arrest on April 20 followed widespread criticism after videos surfaced of members of the United Constitutional Patriots carrying firearms and detaining groups of immigrants crossing the border.
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Noon:
A federal courthouse has been evacuated ahead of a hearing for the leader of an armed group that detained asylum-seeking families near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The U.S. Marshals Service said it could not immediately provide information on why the courthouse had been cleared Monday. Attorneys and court officials exited and gathered in front of the courthouse in Albuquerque.
Larry Mitchell Hopkins, the militia leader who has been indicted on a weapons charge, was escorted out of the courtroom where he had been waiting to appear before a magistrate judge for a detention hearing.
He faces weapons charges stemming from a 2017 visit by an FBI agent to his home in northwestern New Mexico.
He was arrested April 20 in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
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