El Paso, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry Thursday took custody of a man being sought on attempted first degree murder charges in Colorado.
CBP officers arrested 22-year-old Julio Mariano Leal Gomez of Aurora, Colorado at about 6:15 p.m. after he entered the U.S. from Mexico as a pedestrian at the downtown Paso Del Norte international crossing.
CBP officers at the port were performing inspections on arriving travelers when their initial computer query on Gomez identified him as a wanted subject. CBP officers immediately took custody of the man and then performed a secondary Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) scan which confirmed an active warrant out of Adams County, Colorado. The suspect was turned over to the El Paso police department without incident and booked into the El Paso County Jail. Gomez is a Guatemalan citizen with Legal Permanent Residence status in the U.S.
"The various layers of enforcement CBP officers use at area ports have successfully identified numerous dangerous fugitives over the years. This is the latest example," said William Molaski, U.S. Customs and Border Protection El Paso Port Director. "Fugitive apprehensions made by CBP officers play a significant role in keeping our community and our nation safe and secure."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers' primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.