Border Patrol Arrests Two Central Americans in Texas with Gang Affiliations

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents arrested two Central Americans and identified them as members of the 18th Street gang. The arrests occurred in two separate incidents near the Texas-Mexico border.

On November 25, Hebbronville Station agents came upon a group of six illegal immigrants on a ranch near the town of Hebbronville, Texas. The ranches are commonly utilized by migrants to circumvent immigration checkpoints on nearby highways. The agents arrested the group and transported them to the station for processing, according to Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

All migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents are put through a biometric background check to determine their criminal history and gang affiliation, officials stated. During the investigation, agents learned one of the men, a Salvadoran national, is a member of the 18th Street gang and had “an extensive criminal record.”

The second incident occurred on the following day in Laredo. Webb County Sheriff’s Office deputies requested assistance from Border Patrol agents in identifying a suspected illegal immigrant. The agents responded to the scene and conducted an immigration interview. They learned the man is a Guatemalan national with no legal status in the U.S., officials stated.

The agents then took custody of the migrant and transported him to the Laredo South Station for processing. A biometric background investigation revealed the Guatemalan man is a member of the 18th Street gang.

Both 18th Street gang members will be processed under Laredo Sector Border Patrol guidelines. They could face prosecution for immigration violations or for illegal re-entry after removal. If convicted on charges of aggravated re-entry after removal, an illegal alien could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Breitbart News has reported extensively on previously deported sex offenders and other criminal aliens who are stopped by Border Patrol agents from successfully re-entering the United States.