Border Patrol Agents Arrest Gang Members, Sex Offenders Crossing Border

Border Patrol agents working along the Texas border with Mexico arrested multiple gang members and sex offenders attempting to illegally re-enter the United States over the past week.

On Friday, agents assigned to the Laredo Sector discovered a group of nine illegal immigrants who crossed the border from Mexico. During processing, one of the illegal aliens, a Mexican national, admitted to agents that he is a member of the Sureños gang in Hebbronville, Texas, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The Mexican national gang member will be turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution. Officials did not release the identity the Sureños gang member.

That same day, agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector arrested a gang member wanted in Seguin, Texas, on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. The Brackettville Station agents determined Jose Santiago Mendez-Avalos, 41 to be illegally present in the U.S. despite a previous deportation. The agents captured the man after he crossed the border from Mexico on a remote ranch.

A records check revealed Mendez-Avalos has an extensive criminal history and is part of an active gang, CBP Officials stated.

“This arrest is another reminder of the dangerous individuals agents encounter while performing their duties,” Acting Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said in a written statement. “I commend our agents for their vigilance in keeping dangerous criminals from re-entering our communities.”

Earlier in the week, Del Rio agents from the Eagle Pass Station arrested a convicted sex offender as he attempted to re-enter the U.S. after a previous deportation. The agents apprehended Edwin Javier Aguilar-Paz, 37, a Honduran national. During processing, agents discovered Aguilar-Paz has a previous conviction of sexual assault. A Miami-Dade court convicted the Honduran national in July 1998 and sentenced the man to 30-days in jail and 10 years on probation. Immigration officials deported the criminal alien upon the completion of his sentence.

Both Aguilar-Paz and Mendez-Avalos will be prosecuted for illegal re-entry after deportation. The charge, under 8 USC § 1326, carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

“Preventing sexual predators from entering this country is another example of how their efforts benefit our community and county,” Hudak stated.

In the Rio Grande Valley Sector, agents arrested several criminal aliens as they attempted to re-enter the U.S. Agents assigned to the Kingsville Station arrested a member of the MS-13 gang near Sarita, Texas.

Weslaco Station agents also arrested a Mexican national near the town of Hidalgo, Texas, on September 16. During processing, agents discovered the man had a previous conviction for sexual assault of a child in Dakota County, Minnesota. The court sentenced the Mexican national to only 4 months in prison.

Later that day, agents assigned to Rio Grande City apprehended another Mexican national. This criminal alien previously served two years in a Texas prison following a pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child.

The next day, agents at the Fort Brown Station arrested a Salvadoran national after he crossed the border near Brownsville, Texas. The man confirmed to the agents that he is a member of the 18th Street gang. The 18th Street gang is a “notoriously violent Los Angeles street gang comprised primarily of illegal immigrants,” officials stated.

The criminal aliens will all be processed for prosecution or removal.