Tip from Akwesasne resident leads to arrest of six people in country illegally

PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2016 AT 12:30 AM
UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2016 AT 12:34 AM

AKWESASNE — Acting on a tip from an Akwesasne resident, U.S. Customs and Border officers charged six individuals with being in the United States illegally on Feb. 29.

Police charged Ysrael Garcia-Diaz, 27; Justo Garcia-Paulino, 54; Moises Pena-Cristopher, 23; Mr. Pena-Christopher’s 25-year-old girlfriend, who was not identified; and her two minor children, ages 2 and 4.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is charging Mr. Garcia-Diaz and Mr. Garcia-Paulino, who allegedly picked up the four people, with alien smuggling. They each face up to one year in prison, a $100,000 fine and removal from the United States. Mr. Pena-Cristopher is being charged with improper entry by an alien. He faces six months in prison, a $5,000 fine and removal from the United States.

In a news release issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Saturday, officials said Mr. Garcia-Diaz entered the U.S. on June 21, 2009, as the fiance of a U.S. citizen. They said he never married, and his non-immigrant visa expired on Dec. 1, 2009. He has since been illegally present in the United States, they said.

Mr. Garcia-Paulino allegedly claimed to have entered the United States in December 2002 by walking through the desert in Arizona before traveling to New York.

Officials said Mr. Pena-Cristopher applied for a visa on Oct. 23, 2014, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but no other records were found.

The arrests came after U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Massena station responded to a request for assistance from New York State Police, which was initiated by a phone call from an Akwesasne resident.

Officials said that at approximately 10 p.m. Feb. 29, a concerned Akwesasne community member called the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police and reported that he saw a man, a woman and two children get into a van driven by two other men at the Bear’s Den restaurant on the reserve. They said the community member suspected he had witnessed an alien smuggling attempt.

State police stopped the van a short while later in Hogansburg and requested assistance from U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Massena station. After questioning the van’s occupants, Border Patrol agents determined the six were citizens of the Dominican Republic illegally in the United States. They were arrested and taken to the Massena Border Patrol station for interviews and record checks.

“This is a great example of our integration with state, local and tribal law enforcement partners,” Patrol Agent in Charge Wade A. Laughman said in a statement. “The quick response of the New York State Police stopped four illegal aliens from successfully entering the United States.”

“We can’t be everywhere and need the Akwesasne community’s help to keep our people safe,” Tribal Chief of Police Matthew Rourke said in a statement. “Being vigilant and asking community members to call tribal police or Border Patrol when they notice suspicious activity continues to be an important part of our law enforcement capabilities.”

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/n...gally-20160306