TUCSON, Ariz. – Tucson Station Border Patrol agents apprehended a Mexican national east of Sasabe on Sunday afternoon and later learned he had been convicted for statutory rape in DeKalb County, Georgia, in 2012.

While processing 25-year-old Raul Cordova-Garcia for illegally entering the U.S., agents found his conviction resulted in a 12-month sentence and removal from the U.S. in 2013.
Cordova is now being held in federal custody pending prosecution for criminal immigration violations.
All individuals apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.