FORT HANCOCK, Texas – Several migrants with serious criminal convictions trying to illegally cross the southern border into the U.S. over the weekend were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The arrests include migrants who are convicted killers and several who are felony child sex offenders.
On Monday, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Chief Jason Owens posted on social media that agents in Ysleta and Fort Hancock, Texas arrested “two dangerous criminals.” One of the men had a conviction for “Homicide” while the other had convictions for “Manslaughter, Murder/Shooting w/intent to kill, & robbery,” according to the chief, Fox News reported.
Owens posted pictures of the two individuals who were corralled by USBP agents.
Though it’s unclear where the men originated from, one of the migrants has a tattoo reading “Mexican” on the back of his left arm.
The invasion of dangerous perpetrators doesn’t stop there. Owens wrote in another X post on Monday that USBP agents along the southwestern border apprehended six migrant sex offenders with convictions for statutory rape, aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, aggravated sex assault child, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14, and abusive sexual conduct and contact.
The apprehensions followed other significant arrests that stacked up at the border last week.
A man wanted for homicide was captured along with a migrant who is a convicted pedophile, according to the chief.
Furthermore, Owens noted that more than 160 illegal immigrants with gang affiliations have been apprehended so far this year, Fox reported.
“These gangs (Paisas, MS-13, etc.) are involved w/murder, extortion, narcotics, weapons/human trafficking & prostitution,” Owens emphasized as part of his announcement on social media. “This is a threat to our safety and why we need agents patrolling the border.”
The ICE report for fiscal 2023 shows the number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket has significantly risen from an already high 3.7 million in FY 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in FY 2022 to nearly 6.2 million in FY 2023.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is facing a second impeachment vote Tuesday over his mishandling of the border crisis.
