Tucson Sector illegal immigrants average 1 or 2 sex offenders a week...

Tucson Sector illegal immigrants average 1 or 2 sex offenders a week


The KVOA News (Tucson), March 5, 2008

The Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol continues to lead the nation in illegal immigrant arrests. Now, there's a new high and it's connected to sex crimes committed in the United States.

Every single man, woman and child inside a detention facility in the Tucson Sector is an illegal immigrant who just crossed the border. 'They'll come in get sorted out depending on whether they're children, women or males. And once they get finger printed we know the outcome we place them in to specific cells,' said Agent Jose Gonzalez.

It's busy today: you can see belongings are piled high. Every illegal immigrant apprehended comes here to this processing center and it's a guarantee that once a week, agents see at least one sex offender.

'The Tucson Sector gets a lot of sex offenders and we average at least one or two a week throughout the sector.' Gonzalez references a man wearing a blue t-shirt. 'He served 2 1/2 years in jail for sexual conduct with a minor.'

Agents knew that because they ran his fingerprints. 'He could have told us whatever we wanted and that's what we have to go on. But with his fingerprints you can't hide that,' said Gonzalez.

And he's not the only illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Every man here walking out in shackles has a past, Gonzalez said. 'Ten percent of the people we encounter have criminal records somewhere in the United States.' And they'll now face federal charges for reentry as aggravated felons.

Agents in Southern Arizona tell News 4, they arrested 378,000 illegal immigrants in 2007. 41,000 of those had criminal histories and of those crimes, sex offenses were in the top three.



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