Lordsburg, New Mexico - Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigators, arrested an alleged smuggler and convicted felon this week bringing their status in the United States in to question.
On March 19, U.S. Border Patrol Agents encountered a vehicle near Rodeo, New Mexico, in an area frequently utilized for human smuggling. Agents conducted an immigration stop due to the suspicious nature of the vehicle. As a result, agents discovered three passengers who readily admitted to having entered the country illegally. The driver also admitted to knowing that the subjects were illegal aliens who had been smuggled into the United States, and that he would receive payment for transporting them. The driver and illegal aliens were transported to the Lordsburg Border Patrol Station for further processing.
The vehicle used in the smuggling scheme was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol. During processing, it was determined that the driver (DACA recipient) had an approved eligibility status to remain in the U.S. until September 7, 2019. He will be prosecuted on alien smuggling charges. Furthermore, due to the nature of the crime, the subject may no longer be eligible to maintain his DACA status.
In a separate case in El Paso, another subject was arrested Wednesday by a combined Border Patrol/ Homeland Security Investigations Task Force. Members of the Task Force discovered that the subject (DACA recipient) may have violated the terms of his relief status by engaging in various criminal acts to include Aggravated Felony, stemming from an incident in El Paso County. He was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration, but had a portion of his sentence suspended.
In 2012, this subject applied for and received DACA status. He later went on to commit crimes including “Assault Causing Bodily Injury to a Family Member”, “Driving While Intoxicated” and “Burglary of Habitation”. He was convicted on all crimes and eventually was released on probation.