Deported Sex Offenders, Gang Members Arrested in Texas near Border

Border Patrol agents in South Texas continue to arrest gang members and previously deported sex offenders after they illegally cross the border from Mexico into the United States.

Laredo Sector agents assigned to the Brackettville Station on September 13 arrested a man shortly after he illegally entered the U.S., according to information obtained from Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials. During processing, the agents identified the man as Edson Jimenez-Chaires, a 31-year-old man from Mexico. A records check revealed a criminal history that includes theft of property in Houston, Texas. Records also indicate that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers removed the man in September 2019.

A further search confirmed Jimenez-Chaires is a member of the violent transnational criminal gang known as Sureños.

That same day, Del Rio Sector agents assigned to the Eagle Pass Station arrested a man after he illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico. During processing, the agents identified the man as 33-year-old Jose Ernesto Villalta-Arevalo, a Salvadoran citizen. Court records indicate a court in Prince Georges County Maryland convicted the Salvadoran man for aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2018, officials reported. The court sentenced the man to one year in prison. ERO officers deported him from the U.S. earlier this year.

Rio Grande Valley Sector agents assigned to the McAllen Station on September 14 arrested a group of migrants who illegally crossed the border near La Joya, Texas. During processing, agents identified one of the men as Hector Granados-Calales, a Salvadoran national, information obtained from Rio Grande Valley Sector officials states. A criminal background check uncovered an arrest by the Stafford County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Department for “rape-strong arm.” A court convicted the illegal alien on the charge and the judge sentenced him to 15 years confinement. The sentence was later reduced to four years, officials reported.

Later that day, Kingsville Station agents assigned to the Javier Vega, Jr. Immgration Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 77 arrested a Mexican national during a failed human smuggling attempt. During processing, agents identified the man as Felipe Antonio Salazar-Garcia, a.k.a. Felix Anthony Parada. Police in Greensboro, North Carolina, arrested the man for indecent liberties with a child. The court convicted the man and the judge sentenced him to 16-20 months confinement and 60 months probation.

Police in Gregory, Texas, contacted Border Patrol agents at the Corpus Christi Station on September 15 and requested assistance in identifying a man they found during a traffic stop. Agents responded to the request and identified the subject as Guillermo Antonio Barrera-Vasquez, a Guatemalan national illegally present in the U.S. During processing, the agents learned the man is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

The previously deported criminal aliens could face federal charges for illegal re-entry after removal. If convicted, each could face up to 20 years in federal prison.