Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents stopped members of violent gangs including MS-13 and the 18th Street from illegally entering the U.S.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector stopped MS-13 and 18th Street gang members after they illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Texas during the weekend following the Independence Day holiday. Agents in the Del Rio Sector also stopped another MS-13 member.

Agents assigned to the Weslaco Station arrested a Honduran male near the town of Edinburg, Texas, on July 5. During a biometric background investigation, the agents learned the man had been ordered removed from the U.S. following a conviction for sexual assault of a child, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas by Rio Grande Valley Sector officials.

At about the same time, other Weslaco Station agents arrested a Salvadoran national near Hidalgo, Texas. The Salvadoran man made a claim of fear of being deported back to El Salvador, Breitbart Texas reported. During his processing, agents learned the man is a member of the MS-13 gang, officials stated.

The agents came across the illegal immigrant who crossed the Rio Grande River near Hidalgo, Texas. They arrested the man who then made a “claim of fear of being deported back to his native country,” Rio Grande Sector Border Patrol officials said in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.

Officials told Breitbart Texas the MS-13 gang member arrested on July 5 had no history of prior deportation or crimes in the U.S. The background check only revealed the man’s membership with MS-13.

That same day, Del Rio Sector agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station arrested a 35-year-old Honduran man after he illegally crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico into Texas. During processing, a records check revealed the Honduran national is a member of the MS-13 transnational criminal gang which is responsible for a wave of violence across the U.S.

“This arrest serves to remind us of the unknown factors our agents face on a daily basis. Some illegal aliens are dangerous criminals,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Felix Chavez said in a written statement.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.