SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (AP) — Authorities on the U.S.-Mexico border have distanced themselves from an armed civilian group that detains asylum-seeking families, but the United Constitutional Patriots have never been shy about saying they work with Border Patrol agents.

An alleged battery at the Doña Ana County Detention Center is under investigation.

The incident, which reportedly occurred just after 9 p.m. on Monday, April 22, involved a federal detainee who was being held on behalf of the U.S. Marshals. The alleged victim has been identified as 69-year-old Larry Hopkins.

   Hopkins was given medical attention for non life-threatening injuries. He was transferred out of the Doña Ana County Detention Center under the direction of the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday.  

  A team of New Mexico State University graduate students and Environmental Engineering Professors Nirmala Khandan and Pei Xu are developing a novel water treatment process that could render municipal wastewater into drinking water and at the same time produce algal biomass for biofuel and fertilizer.

Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) is leading an effort with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) calling  for a federal investigation into armed militia groups along the southwest border.  Here is a statement from the office of Rep. Haaland:

The Representatives wrote a letter to Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Christopher Way, urging the bureau to look into the group’s operations and whether there has been coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

“It is important that no individual or organization impede a person’s legal right to seek asylum in the United States,” Haaland, Escobar, and Luján wrote in the letter. “The FBI must immediately launch an investigation into this unlawful conduct.”

Tessa Stuve announced she is a candidate for Las Cruces City Council District 2. Here is a statement from her campaign:

“I want to make sure that as Las Cruces continues to grow all communities are well represented and well served. District 2 is very diverse, the neighborhoods are filled with families of many different cultures, age groups, income, and education levels. All constituents deserve to have their opinions and concerns heard with compassion and gravity.”

Las Cruces police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other area law enforcement agencies are hosting a prescription drug take-back event Saturday at several locations.

After more than 50 years as an NMSU professor, filmmaker and community leader, Mark Medoff passed away Tuesday, April 23. He was 79. 

A Distinguished Achievement Professor at NMSU, Medoff has written more than 30 plays, many of which premiered in Las Cruces. He founded NMSU’s Creative Media Institute and garnered numerous awards for his work including a Tony award for his play “Children of a Lesser God,” which which enjoyed a Broadway revival last year.

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico launched a multimillion-dollar effort Tuesday to ensure an accurate census count of its heavily Hispanic and Native American population, as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the census should inquire about citizenship.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order that draws on her Cabinet, advocacy groups and tribal liaisons to encourage participation in the upcoming census.