Deported Violent Criminal, Gang Members Arrested in Arizona near Border

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents kept a violent, previously deported criminal alien and two dangerous gang members from successfully re-entering the U.S.

Tucson Sector agents apprehended a migrant in the Ephraim Canyon area after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico on January 7. The agent transported the Mexican national to the station where they conducted a biometric background investigation, according to Tucson Sector officials.

The investigation into the man’s immigration and criminal history uncovered a violent past and a previous deportation, officials stated. The agents identified the man as 34-year-old  Francisco Javier Cruz-Ramirez, a Mexican national.

A criminal court in Maricopa County, Arizona, convicted the illegal alien for kidnapping and “misconduct involving weapons” in March 2010, officials stated. The Arizona court sentenced the man to seven years in state prison for the kidnapping charges and six years for the weapons violation. Immigration officers removed him to Mexico on October 14, 2015.

He now faces possible federal felony charges for illegal re-entry after removal as a convicted felon. If convicted on the charge, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Earlier that same day, Nogales Station agents observed a man illegally crossing the border just west of the border town of Nogales, Arizona. After taking the man to the station, the agents identified him as 34-year-old Alberto Vazquez-Valdez, a Mexican national. A records search indicated the man is a documented Sureños gang member.

Two days later, agents patrolling the border near Sasabe, Arizona, apprehended another migrant after he illegally entered the U.S. Agents transported him to the Border Patrol station where a background investigation uncovered an extensive criminal history. The investigation identified the man as Alonso Aleman, a 39-year-old Honduran national. Officials said Aleman is a security threat to the United States because of his admitted membership in the hyperviolent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

Court records obtained by Breitbart Texas indicate a federal court in Arizona convicted Aleman in June 2019 for illegal re-entry after being removed to Honduras from Alexandria, Louisiana, in December 2019. Border Patrol agents working near Ajo, Arizona, found him illegally back in the U.S. in February 2019.

He now faces additional charges related to being back in the United States illegally after his previous removal. If convicted for the illegal re-entry, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.