Border Patrol intercepts multiple illegal immigrant sex offenders in a single weekend
Border Patrol agents announced they have stopped multiple sex offenders in a single weekend attempting to evade them as they crossed into the United States — amid continued concerns about criminals breaking into the U.S.
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced that agents had stopped seven previously convicted sex offenders at the border.
He said the crimes include rape, aggravated sexual abuse and assault and criminal unlawful contact with a minor.
"These are the individuals attempting to evade capture," he said.
Separately, agents in the Tucson Sector in Arizona announced the arrest of an additional two felons over the weekend. The two Mexican nationals have convictions for aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated abuse of a minor.
The border crisis has fueled continued concerns about the number of criminals who may be getting into the U.S., either by being caught and released by Border Patrol agents, or who evade capture and sneak into the U.S. as "gotaways."
SUSPECTS ‘LURED’ TEXAS 12-YEAR-OLD TO HER DEATH, PROSECUTORS SAY
The news of the latest criminal illegal immigrants comes a week after two Venezuelan illegal immigrants were charged with the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas. Authorities said she was lured under a bridge before being tied up and killed by the suspects.
The arrests came the same week as the arrest of an Ecuadorian national in the U.S. illegally for a broad daylight sex attack in which police said a machete-wielding man raped a 13-year-old girl at a park.
Last week, police also announced that an illegal migrant from El Salvador had been arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin — a Maryland mother of five. The horrific crimes are part of a broader wave of crimes across the U.S. committed by those in the country illegally.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
Border Patrol agents have made over 13,000 arrests of individuals with criminal convictions this fiscal year so far, closing in on the 15,267 arrested in FY 2023, and already exceeding FY 2022 (12,028) and 21(10,763).
There were 170,723 total encounters at the southern border in May, the lowest month this fiscal year and the lowest May since President Biden took office. But the continued crisis is expected to play a key role in the upcoming CNN presidential debate on Thursday as it remains a top political issue in the U.S.