Border Patrol agents arrest 3 for sexually related crimes

Oct 5, 2007 01:50 PM PDT


WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents arrested three subjects this week, in separate incidents, with criminal records for or wanted for sexual related crimes.

On Thursday, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the El Paso Sector apprehended Erik Monrroy-Alvarez, a 24-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador. Agents first noticed Monrroy as he pulled up to the primary position at the Las Cruces Border Patrol Traffic Checkpoint on Interstate 10.

Monrroy's nervous behavior during initial questioning, led the agents to believe that he was hiding something, so he was directed to secondary inspection for further investigation.

At the secondary inspection point, Monrroy admitted to being in the U.S. illegally, and agents immediately arrested him. According to officials, computerized check produced a criminal record on the subject, which advised that Monrroy had an active felony warrant from Ottumwa, Iowa for the "Sexual Assault of a Minor."

Agents confirmed the validity of the warrant and Monrroy was taken into custody by the New Mexico State Police pending extradition to Iowa.

On Monday, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Naco, Ariz., Border Patrol Station encountered Roberto Santos-Escobar, a 23-year-old illegal alien from Mexico. Santos was arrested after he illegally entered the U.S. near Naco, Ariz.

At the Naco Border Patrol Station, the IAFIS System revealed that Santos had been convicted of "Forcible Sex Abuse - Felony" and "Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor" in Summit County, Utah. Santos was subsequently processed for removal proceedings.

In another arrest Monday, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the El Centro, Calif., Station encountered Jose Sanchez-Larios, a 29-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, near Calexico, Calif.

After crossing the border illegally, agents arrested and then transported Sanchez back to the El Centro Border Patrol Station for processing and records checks. At the station, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) produced a criminal record pertaining to Sanchez, which advised that Sanchez had been convicted of "Sex with a Minor" in 2002.

IAFIS also indicated that Sanchez had an outstanding "No Bail Warrant" for his arrest from the California Department of Corrections. Officials from California were contacted, and Sanchez was turned over to them.

This is not the first time the Border Patrol has apprehended subjects with criminal records. In Fiscal Year 2007 the IAFIS system identified over 450 hits for "Sexual Assault" based on the arrests that the Border Patrol has made. This comes from a total of over 140,000 hits for crimes in that time period.

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