Sex Offenders, Dangerous Criminals Apprehended Crossing into U.S.

Border Patrol agents along the southwest border with Mexico arrested multiple sex offenders and other dangerous criminals attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. The arrests came during a three-day period ending on Monday.

Agents assigned to the Del Rio Station apprehended a man who illegally crossed the border from Mexico on August 25. The agents transported the man to the Del Rio Station where they carried out a biometric background investigation. The agents identified the man as Francisco W. Rodriguez-Garcia, a 35-year-old Mexican national, according to information obtained from Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

Further investigation uncovered a criminal history and previous deportation actions by immigration officials. A court in Garland, Texas, convicted Rodriguez-Garcia for felony aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14 in 2005. After serving nine years in a Texas prison, immigration officers deported him to Mexico in 2014.

He now faces federal prosecution for illegal re-entry after removal as an aggravated felon. If convicted on the charge under 8 USC § 1326, he could face up to 20 years in a federal penitentiary.

“Criminals will keep trying to enter further into the United States and make their way into our communities,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “This is how our men and women of the Border Patrol keep our communities safe from predators like this.”

The following day, Laredo Sector agents assigned to the Laredo North Station arrested a dangerous gang member during a foiled human smuggling attempt. The agents assigned to the Interstate 35 Immigration Checkpoint observed a Ford pickup truck approaching for inspection. A K-9 agent alerted to the possible presence of drugs or human cargo in the rear of the truck. The agent referred the driver to a secondary inspection station, according to Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

During a secondary inspection, agents found a man hiding in a locked toolbox. The agents removed the man from the dangerous hiding place where he had no means of escape in the event of an accident or being abandoned by the smuggler.

The agents interviewed the man and determined him to be a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, officials reported. They arrested the migrant and the driver on immigration and human smuggling violations.

The agents later conducted a background check on the man and discovered he is a member of the Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos gang. Agents seized the vehicle and turned both suspects over to Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Also that day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Roma Port of Entry apprehended a man returning from Mexico to the U.S. who is wanted for an alleged sex crime against a child in Edinburg, Texas. The agents initially referred the man, 62-year-old Felix Jorge Reynoso Martinez, a legal resident alien, to a secondary inspection station due to a possible outstanding warrant.

The agents fingerprinted the man and confirmed that Reynoso Martinez is wanted by the Edinburg Police Department in connection for an allegation of indecency with a child involving sexual contact. The officers turned the man over to Hidalgo County jail officials who will process the warrant.

Elsewhere on the border, Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a Honduran national who illegally crossed the border on Monday near Nogales, Arizona. During a background check, the agents learned that a court in Gwinnet County, Georgia, convicted 30-year-old Elvin Javier Maldonado-Gomez for statutory rape in 2013. After serving five years of a prison sentence, immigration officers removed him to Honduras.

Maldonado-Gomez now faces federal felony charges for illegal re-entry after removal as a convicted sex offender. He also could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a gang member and a convicted sexual predator during the past week as well. Agents assigned to the Calexico Station arrested a 38-year-old Mexican national after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico on the morning of August 25, officials reported. A records check identified the man as Francisco Mancedo-Vargas, a previously deported convicted sex offender. Immigration officers deported the Mexican national on June 6.

“Here we have a case of an illegal alien who was convicted of a heinous crime against a child and in less than two months’ time tries to re-enter the United States illegally,” El Centro Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Ryan J. Scudder said in a written statement. “Mancedo, a convicted sexual predator was arrested by our agents and thanks to them, he will not be allowed to prey on other innocent children.”

Officials say he is the 20th sex offender arrested by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents this year.

During the afternoon of August 24, El Centro Sector agents assigned to the Calexico Station also stopped a member of the dangerous Sureño gang from successfully re-entering the U.S. Agents witnessed the man, a 35-year-old Mexican national, illegally crossing the border 12 miles east of the Calexico Port of Entry, officials stated. During a background check and immigration interview, the man confessed to being a Sureño gang member. Criminal records revealed that a court in California convicted the man for “Shooting at an Inhabited Dwelling.” The court sentenced the man to 10 years in state prison. Immigration officers removed him from the U.S. in 2014.

The Mexican national gang member is being held pending federal prosecution for illegal re-entry after removal.

In total, Border Patrol agents apprehended thee previously deported men with convictions for sexual offenses against children, one man wanted for indecency with a child including sexual contact, and two dangerous gang members during a three day period.