June 26,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, U.S. Customs and Border Protection made six significant arrests, including MS-13 and 18th Street gang members and a convicted murderer, along U.S. borders over three days. The arrests, made by U.S. Border Patrol agents, took place across the United States, from Vermont to the California coast.
“Human smuggling is a violent criminal enterprise that puts the safety of our communities and our country at risk,” said U.S. Border Patrol Acting Deputy Chief Scott A. Luck. “Attacking this problem is a top Department of Homeland Security priority. We are committed to using the wealth of resources, technology and expertise at our disposal not only to disrupt the current activity, but to identify and dismantle the criminal organizations behind it.”
In Fiscal Year 2018 through the end of May, Border Patrol agents have arrested 5,000 people with criminal records who have attempted to enter the United States illegally. Additionally, Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 505 criminal gang members to include Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), 18th Street gang and Mexican Mafia.
On June 22, Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican national near El Centro, California who was convicted of child molestation and a suspected MS-13 gang member near McAllen, Texas. Both were referred for prosecution and removal.
A Peruvian national and a Mexican national were apprehended on June 23 near Averill, Vermont. Record checks revealed that both subjects were previously deported. The Mexican national admitted to being a member of the 18th Street gang. Both individuals were processed for prosecution and removal.
On June 24, an El Salvadoran national who verbally admitted to being an active 18th Street gang member was arrested by Border Patrol agents near Rio Grande City, Texas. The subject was processed for prosecution and removal.
That same day, a Mexican national, who was previously convicted of murder and served 32 years in prison, was apprehended near San Ysidro, California. The individual will be processed for prosecution and removal. Lastly, an El Salvadoran national, who admitted to being a MS-13 gang member, was arrested by Border Patrol agents near Three Points, Arizona.
Border Patrol agents were able to identify their criminal histories and gang affiliation by a search of CBP and FBI biometric databases. The databases provide rapid identification of individuals with outstanding criminal warrants by electronically comparing a live-scanned fingerprint against a nationwide database of biometrically indexed fingerprints.
