Suspects in a home invasion in southern Arizona last month that resulted in the deaths of a man and his daughter are involved in a rogue group engaged in citizen border patrols, reports the New York Times. The three people arrested include the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a Washington State-based offshoot of the Minutemen movement, in which citizens roam the border looking for people crossing into the country illegally. Authorities say that the three suspects were after money and drugs that they intended to use to finance vigilantism, and that the group may have been involved in at least one other home invasion, in California.
Citizen militia patrols had drawn praise from some political leaders, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but also raised concerns that the activities were veils for racism and xenophobia. The movement has also suffered from infighting, with some groups advocating increasingly confrontational tactics.