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Border Patrol Arrests Sexual Offender in Eastern Arizona

Release Date
Wed, 08/21/2019

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a previously deported sex offender discovered among a group of illegal immigrants in eastern Arizona early Monday.

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents encountered the group of two men, one woman, and a juvenile while responding to a request for assistance from a Greenlee County Sheriff’s deputy near Clifton, Arizona.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection

Agents interviewing the group learned all five Mexican nationals were illegally present in the country. Records checks revealed one of the men, 32-year-old Zacarias Bautista-Emiliano, had an extensive criminal history in the United States.

Bautista-Emiliano was found guilty in California of sexual crimes against a child in 2013. Due to extensive immigration violations, Bautista also had received a lifetime ban from entering the United States.

Bautista will remain in custody to face criminal charges, while the other four members in the group will be processed for immigration violations. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021