Border agents arrest felon with burned fingerprints

08:25 PM MST on Thursday, October 11, 2007
By Alicia Barrón, Fox 11 News

A man who authorities say burned his fingerprints in an attempt to conceal his identity was detained as he tried to enter the United States illegally.

Border Patrol agents from the Tucson sector arrested 25-year-old Mateo Cruz-Cruz on the evening of October 10 after he attempted to sneak into the U.S. by jumping a fence east of the Douglas, Arizona port of entry.

According to a news release, agents noticed Cruz had burned his fingerprints when they were entering his informing into the ENFORCE/IAFIS database. Agents discovered he had been previously convicted for sexual assault of a minor in Iowa in 2004.

After further investigation, agents discovered Cruz had also been deported from the U.S. in March of 2004.

The news release indicates that Cruz will be prosecuted for illegal entry due to his status as an aggravated felon and based on his criminal immigration record.
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