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Man says he illegally crossed border 4 times in 10 days

Aug. 29, 2006 12:00 AM

An undocumented immigrant arrested by Maricopa County sheriff's deputies said he illegally crossed the border four times in 10 days.

Aurelio Solorzano-Ovando, 35, told officials that three of those crossings resulted in arrests by Border Patrol agents, who released him in Mexico. Deputies arrested Solorzano-Ovando and 11 other undocumented immigrants Thursday in the far-west Valley on suspicion of conspiring to smuggle themselves into the country.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Solorzano-Ovando "personifies the problem" with the federal government and its "revolving door" policy. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials could not be reached to verify Solorzano-Ovando's claim, but a Border Patrol official said it's possible. According to Tucson Sector spokesman Gustavo Soto, an illegal crossing suspect is escorted back to Mexico if he or she has no significant criminal or immigration history.

- Lindsey Collom