Deported Sex Offenders Arrested After Illegally Crossing U.S. Border from Mexico

Border Patrol agents in California, Arizona, and Texas arrested multiple previously deported sex offenders after they illegally crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents patrolling the California-Mexico border west of the Calexico Port of Entry on November 10 encountered a man who illegally entered the United States. The agents arrested the man and transported him to a rally point for processing, according to information obtained from Border Patrol officials.

At the rally point, agents conducted a medical screening and criminal background investigation. A records check identified the man as a 42-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, officials stated. A court in Fayetteville, North Carolina, convicted the man in January 2010 for “indecent liberties with a child. The court sentenced the Guatemalan man to 12 years in state prison. Following his release, ICE officers removed him to Guatemala.

The agents turned the man over to federal authorities where he will face charges under 8 USC 1326, Re-entry of Removed Aliens, officials reported. If convicted,he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

In Fiscal Year 2021, which began on October 1, El Centro agents arrested five illegal aliens with convictions or warrants for sexual offenses.

In Arizona, Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a man after he illegally entered the U.S. near Douglas. The agents found the man walking in the desert over the weekend and transported him to a rally point for processing.

A records check identified the man as 30-year-old Romeo Hernandez-Sanchez, a Mexican national. A court in Monmouth County, New Jersey, convicted the Mexican man in 2018 for sexual offenses against a child. ICE officers removed Hernandez-Sanchez later that year after he served his jail time.

Hernandez-Sanchez now faces federal felony charges for illegal re-entry after removal.

Carrizo Springs Station agents encountered a man just after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Texas on November 13, Del Rio Sector officials reported. Agents identified the man as 56-year-old Efrain Sillero-Galindo, a Mexican national.

A records check led to the discovery of a 1996 conviction in Austin, Texas, for aggravated sexual assault of a child. He received a 10-year prison sentence for the crime and was subsequently deported in 2006.

Sillero-Galindo now faces a federal felony charge of illegal re-entry after removal.

Also over the weekend, Rio Grande Valley Sector agents arrested three more deported sex offenders and two violent criminal gang members, officials stated.

Rio Grande City Station agents patrolling the border near Roma, Texas, on November 13 arrested a Guatemalan national later identified as Amos Nemia Lopez-Ramirez. Criminal database records identified the man as a confirmed member of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). A Virginia court convicted him following an arrest by the Harrisonburg Police Department. He received a sentence of five years in state prison.

Later that day, McAllen Station agents patrolling near Los Ebanos, Texas, arrested another Guatemalan man after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Texas. A biometric background check identified the man as Jose Cottoc-Machic, a previously deported criminal alien.

Russellville, Alabama, police arrested the man on a charge of assault-rape in the 2nd degree, officials reported. The judge sentenced the Guatemalan man to eight years in prison but suspended the sentence to three months plus five years of probation. He was subsequently deported.

Falfurrias Station agents assigned to Brooks County, Texas, uncovered another human smuggling attempt. Agents arrested Jose Vasquez-Chavez, a Salvadoran national, as he attempted to circumvent the Falfurrias Immigration Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281 on Saturday.

A records check uncovered an arrest by the Katy, Texas, Police Department for sexual assault of a child, officials stated. The Texas court sentenced Vasquez-Chavez to two years in state prison for the attack on the child.

Later that evening, McAllen Station agents arrested Fernando Jimenez-Rodriguez, a Mexican national, after he entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico. A records check led to the finding of an arrest by the Dallas Police Department on charges of indecency with a child. The Texas court sentenced the Mexican national to two years in state prison.

Rio Grande City Station agents patrolling near Roma, arrested another Mexican national after human smugglers moved him across the river in a raft. Agents identified the man as a member of the violent Los Metros gang — a faction of the Gulf Cartel, officials reported.

On November 11, McAllen Station agents working the border near Mission, Texas, observed multiple people illegally crossing the border and approaching the levee. As agents approached, the group split up and attempted to avoid arrest.

Agents searched the area and arrested seven illegal aliens, officials stated. An interview identified one of the men as Juan Maldonado-Mendoza, a Mexican national. His criminal history includes an arrest by the DuPage County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office. The court convicted the Mexican man on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child. He received a four-year prison sentence before being deported.

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