TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Nogales and Casa Grande stations apprehended three men, two with violent criminal histories, after they crossed the U.S. border illegally over the weekend.
Agents first encountered and arrested a 50-year-old Mexican national, Agustin Sanchez-Velazquez, after he illegally crossed the border in Nogales Saturday evening. When agents conducted a records check on Sanchez, they learned he had been convicted in Los Angeles County of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2005.
On Sunday, Casa Grande agents apprehended 42-year-old Humberto Algandar-Acosta of Mexico for being illegally present in the United States. During processing, agents discovered that Algandar had been previously convicted in Arizona in 2009 for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroine, and cocaine. He was sentenced to 37 months confinement for his crimes.
Also on Sunday, Nogales agents apprehended another Mexican national, 36-year-old Antonio Carteno-Osorio, for being illegally present in the United States. Carteno, who was convicted in 2002 of a felony in New York for 1st degree sexual abuse of an individual under 11 years of age, served one year in prison and was removed from the United States.
The three men are in federal custody and are being presented for felony criminal immigration charges. All individuals apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using biometrics to ensure illegal aliens with criminal histories are positively identified.
Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.