TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a registered sex offender after he illegally re-entered the country southwest of Sells, Arizona, Tuesday morning.
Tucson Sector agents patrolling remote trails on the Tohono O’odham Nation detected, tracked and arrested a group of 13 illegal aliens that entered the United States illegally through the desert. The group consisted of men, women and juveniles from Guatemala and Mexico.
While processing the group, agents learned one Guatemalan man, 38-year-old Israel Chaj-Matul, was a registered sex offender in Florida. Records revealed that Chaj-Matul was arrested in 2015 in Dade County and found guilty of sexual offenses against a child.
Protection
Chaj-Matul will be federally prosecuted for re-entry of a previously removed felon.
The other people encountered in the incident were expelled from the country under Title 42 authority.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol arrested two other previously removed sex offenders, both Mexican nationals, earlier in the week. Both men were presented for criminal prosecution.
All people apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal aliens with criminal histories are positively identified.
For more details regarding this news release, contact the Tucson Sector Public Affairs Office at tca-pao@cbp.dhs.gov or by phone at 520-748-3210. Tucson Sector is also LiveU capable. Contact us to schedule an interview.