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Border Patrol agents in Rio Grande Valley have recently caught two sex offenders and nine MS-13 gang members in the last week — the latest haul of criminals to be caught by agents as they try to get into the country.
Agents on Friday found a migrant with a prior conviction of sexual assault of a victim under-12, for which he was sentenced to nine-years in prison in Florida. He was apprehended in a group of eight migrants near Brownsville, Texas.
HONDURAN MS-13 GANG MEMBER WITH PRIOR DEPORTATIONS SENTENCED FOR DRUG, GUN CRIMES
Then on Sunday, agents in McAllen picked up to MS-13 gang members — including one who had previously been arrested and sentenced for causing bodily injury to a family member.
MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha, was set up in Los Angeles by Central American immigrants and has expanded across the continent – particularly in Northern Triangle countries like El Salvador and Guatemala.
It is known for its particularly horrific and gruesome crimes, and its motto is said to be “mata, viola, controla” – which means “kill, rape, control.”
Then in the last five days, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that agents in RGV have arrested seven more MS-13 gang members, as well as two 18th street gang members.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near the city of Sasabe, Arizona. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, agents near Brownsville arrested a Salvadoran national who was charged in New York in 1996 with sexual contact with a victim under 14 — he was sentenced to just 15 days in prison.
Agents regularly come into contact with gang members and sex offenders, including child sex offenders, among migrants attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.
Last month, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said that in just a few days, agents had stopped 10 sex offenders, three gang members, one “assassination suspect” and a fugitive wanted for murder from getting into the country.
So far this fiscal year, agents have apprehended 175 MS-13 gang members, compared to 113 last fiscal year. Meanwhile, there have been 219 convictions for sexual offenses among migrants, compared to 488 last fiscal year.
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Agents have been dealing with a massive number of migrants at the southern border, with more than 239,000 encounters in May.
A high-level CBP source told Fox News that there have been 440,000 known gotaways since the fiscal year began in October — with over 50,000 in May alone.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
