El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a previously convicted murderer in connection to an alleged human smuggling attempt. The man allegedly attempted to sneak three Mexican nationals through an interior immigration checkpoint.
Agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint in California on Monday afternoon observed a grey Chevrolet Silverado with four passengers approaching for inspection. During an initial interview, the driver, a U.S. citizen, told the agents the passengers were legal immigrants and their documents were packed away in the bed of the truck, according to El Centro Sector officials.
The agents referred the driver to a secondary station for further investigation. Based on further interviews and the lack of immigration documentation, the agents determined the three men were Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.
The agents arrested the three migrants, the driver, and his front-seat female passenger, also a U.S. citizen. The driver and the woman now face federal charges for human smuggling. The migrants face prosecution for being illegally present in the U.S., officials stated.
During processing, the agents learned that a court in California convicted the driver, a 42-year-old man, in 1997 for murder. He served 14 years in a California state prison, officials stated. His criminal history also includes other felony convictions including charges of carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and participation in a criminal street gang.
If convicted in federal court on the charges of human smuggling, he and the female passenger could face up to five years in federal prison. If he was being paid to smuggle the migrants, the penalty could increase to up to 10 years in federal prison.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face
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