Deported Criminal Aliens Cross Into U.S. with Large Migrant Groups, Say Feds

Border Patrol officials in El Paso say that previously deported criminal aliens and gang members are attempting to sneak back into the U.S. by hiding in the large groups of Central American migrants. All migrants go through a biometric background investigation as part of the processing of the groups at the border.

During a five-day period ending on June 13, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector apprehended five previously deported criminal aliens and gang members who attempted to cross illegally into the U.S. by hiding with groups of migrants, according to information provided by Border Patrol officials.

On June 13, El Paso Station agents apprehended a group of 17 migrants near the downtown area, officials stated. During a biometric background investigation, the agents learned that one of the migrants, 33-year-old Celso Alexander Portillo-River, a Salvadoran national, has an extensive criminal history in the U.S. His records included a four-year prison sentence for second degree robbery in California. Immigration officers removed the criminal alien from the U.S. in 2016, the report states. He now faces new federal charges for illegal re-entry after removal.

One day earlier, agents assigned to the Deming Station working near Hachita, New Mexico, disrupted a human smuggling attempt. The agents reportedly arrested five migrants. During the intake process, agents identified Jose Eduarto Rodriguez-Aguire, a 27-year-old male from Mexico. The man identified himself as a long-time member of the Latin Kings gang.

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