Border Patrol Agents Arrest Murderer, Rapist near Arizona Line

Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona arrested a convicted rapist and a murderer over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. Other agents in the Tucson Sector rescued three illegal aliens stranded in the desert near Whetstone.

Agents from the Ajo Station arrested a Mexican national on Sunday after he illegally crossed the border near Lukeville. The Mexican man was part of a group of five illegal immigrants. Thee agents arrested and transported them to the station for processing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

During a background check, agents identified one of the men as 31-year-old Pascual Nava-Gutierrez. His records revealed violent felonies including rape in the 3rd degree and assault in the 4th degree. Officials did not indicate the state where these crimes occurred. Immigration officers deported Nava following his prison sentence.

The previously deported criminal alien now faces new federal charges of aggravated re-entry after removal as a convicted felon and sex offender. If convicted he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Yuma Sector agents arrested a Mexican national on Friday after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico near Andrade, California. The agents transported the illegal immigrant to the Yuma Station for processing where they learned a court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, previously convicted the man for murder. Court records revealed that 30-year-old Luis Cota-Lopez served 11 years out of a 15-year sentence for a murder he committed in 2001. Immigration officers deported the criminal alien after the completion of his sentence.

Cota also faces potential felony charges of aggravated re-entry after removal as a convicted felon.

On Sunday night and early Monday, agents assigned to the Wilcox Station rescued three illegal aliens in distress.

Agents first encountered a Mexican man walking near the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 90, officials stated. The migrant had a laceration on his face. He told agents his wife fell into a deep wash and that she could not walk. He explained that he left her behind with another relative and went for help.

The agents began a search for the missing woman and the relative. A few hours later, they found the 26-year-old woman and a 20-year-old male relative–both Mexican nationals. Agents administered first-aid and placed the woman on a backboard to transport her to a safe location. An air ambulance moved the injured woman to an area hospital.

Agents determined all three of the Mexican nationals entered the U.S. illegally. They will be processed for immigration violations and be removed from the U.S.