Law enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border arrested three sex offenders in separate busts earlier this week.
Border Patrol agents arrested illegal aliens, 39-year-old Mateo Pablo Martin, of Guatemala, and 45-year-old David Antonio Varcenas-Aguilar, of Mexico, according to a press release. Customs and Border Protection officers also busted 19-year-old Roberto Medina, an American wanted for sexual assault.
“These arrests demonstrate our Border Patrol agents’ unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from dangerous individuals,” said Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, in the release.
Agents from the McAllen Border Patrol Station arrested Martin, in the country illegally, on July 14.
“Records indicate Pablo-Martin was convicted by the Riverside Sheriff’s Office in February of 2018 for molesting a child under 18 years old,” the release said.
He was sentenced to 170 days in jail and 30 months’ probation. Martin did not immediately appear in Texas or California’s sex offender registries.
Separately, agents from the Fort Brown Border Patrol Station in Brownsville arrested illegal alien Varcenas-Aguilar on July 12.
“Varcenas-Aguilar was previously arrested in June of 2009 and charged with sexual assault of a child,” the release reads.
The illegal was convicted and sentenced to 12 years “confinement.” According to court documents, his bond was set at $25,000, and he is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
In yet another bust, CBP officers at the Progreso Port of Entry – between Brownsville and McAllen – arrested Medina for sex assault in Austin.
Medina, a 19-year-old American, tried to cross the border at the Progreso International Bridge on July 14, according to the release. Officers sent him to “secondary inspection.” They found through “biometric verification” that he was wanted on a felony warrant from the Austin Police Department for sexual assault.
“Medina was turned over to Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies for transport to jail and adjudication of the warrant,” the release reads.
Officials cited the National Crime Information Center, a “centralized automated database” to share law enforcement information. In the past, it has led border agents to capture fugitives wanted for “homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion.”
“Criminal charges are merely allegations,” the release reads. “Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.”
As The Dallas Express previously reported, the database previously helped officers bust a suspect wanted in Dallas for soliciting a minor online.
Progreso Port Director Michael Martinez said in the release that traffic has been rising with the summer travel season.
“Our frontline CBP officers continue to maintain their vigilance and apprehended a pedestrian wanted for a sex-related offense,” Martinez said. “Apprehensions like these exemplify what our officers do every day to secure our borders and keep our communities safe.”