Border Patrol: Videos of vigilantes near Sasabe could lead to arrests

José Ignacio Castañeda Perez, Arizona Republic
Updated ·3 min read
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U.S. Border Patrol agents confronted a vigilante who had previously intimidated a group of migrants and stalked humanitarian aid volunteers along the U.S.-Mexico border wall near Sasabe.

Agents warned Ethan Schmidt-Crockett, a well-known anti-mask and anti-LGBTQ activist, about potential arrest warrants that could be issued if it’s determined that he detained any migrants.

On May 12, the day after the Title 42 border restriction had been lifted, Schmidt-Crockett and other vigilantes filmed themselves intercepting a group of migrants who recently had crossed the border. The vigilantes wore headlamps and are believed to have been collecting the migrants’ biographic information.

Schmidt-Crockett later claimed that the migrants were coming to them begging for water. The vigilantes only handed out water and Bibles, he said.

Far-right border vigilantes followed and harassed a group of migrant advocates who were providing humanitarian aid near Sasabe, Arizona, on May 12.
Far-right border vigilantes followed and harassed a group of migrant advocates who were providing humanitarian aid near Sasabe, Arizona, on May 12.

The video was posted to social media.

"We are going to review those videos," an unidentified patrol supervisor with the Border Patrol said in regard to the video of the vigilantes intercepting migrants.

“If there’s any sort of you guys doing any sort of apprehension or saying you’re detaining people, just know that potential warrants may be issued for your arrest.”

It is unclear when the encounter with Border Patrol occurred. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond Monday to a request for comment.

Schmidt-Crockett partially blamed The Arizona Republic’s previous reporting for the encounter with the Border Patrol.

The agent said they had received reports that the vigilante group had taken somebody at gunpoint or apprehended someone. Schmidt-Crockett says that there are guns in the vehicle but claims he’s unarmed when asked by the agent in the video.

"I don’t want you guys here, period," the agent said. "I know you guys are trying to help us out in whatever shape, form or capacity but we have plenty of technology out here that we can address this as we see fit."

Initial reporting: Vigilantes confront migrants, advocates near border after Title 42's end

Tucson Samaritans check the border wall, including a small gap in the new construction, near Sasabe, Ariz., on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Opponents that seek to control immigration, such as the Washington-based think tank Center for Immigration Studies, contend the border wall and other barriers are a better way to keep deaths down by keeping migrants out.

Schmidt-Crockett was sentenced to three years of probation in early March after he videotaped himself harassing the staff of a Mesa wig store for their mask policy in 2021. He was kicked out of an Arizona Barnes & Noble in April for harassing shoppers browsing the store’s Pride-themed book stand.

He previously threatened to “hunt” LGBTQ rights supporters in a video and, in June 2022, he was arrested for failing to appear in court.

The Border Patrol agent in the video claimed that Schmidt-Crockett was loitering and trespassing on a border road where “no trespassing” signs were posted.

In March, a 75-year-old member of the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans was arrested by the Border Patrol for stopping along the border road to help give migrant children water.

A "no trespassing" sign can be seen posted on the border road near Sasabe, Arizona.
A "no trespassing" sign can be seen posted on the border road near Sasabe, Arizona.

The “no trespassing” signs reference an Arizona criminal trespassing statute and, despite being on federal land, are enforced by the Border Patrol by coupling state and federal laws. The coupling of the statutes allows the Border Patrol to enforce the state trespassing law on people who stop along the border wall in the area.

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Schmidt-Crockett, alongside other armed vigilantes, confronted a truckful of humanitarian volunteers from the Tucson and Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans on May 12. The vigilantes accused the volunteers of working for the cartels and being traffickers.

They repeatedly asked if the volunteers had voted for President Joe Biden and accused Biden of being a child trafficker.

The four vigilantes, who were traveling in a white pickup truck, followed the volunteers as they drove along the border wall looking for asylum seekers to help. The vigilantes followed the volunteers for roughly 10 miles on the dirt road.

Border Patrol agents eventually stopped the vigilantes. During the May 12 encounter, Schmidt-Crockett suggested in a video that the agents who had stopped the group were under "cartel control."

Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Border vigilantes face possible arrest if they detained migrants