Several suspected gang members within groups of people illegally entering the United States — most of whom have no criminal or immigration history in the U.S. — were arrested in a 24-hour period by agents from the U.S. Border Patrol station in McAllen.
On Tuesday, McAllen agents apprehended a group of 11 in Hidalgo and discovered one Mexican national to be a member of Los Paisanos gang from a record check.
The Mexican national was convicted in 2008 for transporting people and was sentenced to 24 months confinement and then removed from the U.S., an agency news release said.
Agents apprehended another group of 26 subjects nearby shortly thereafter.
Record checks revealed a Salvadoran national to be a member of the Mara-Salvatrucha gang.
Later that same day, agents apprehended another group of 10 people and found one Salvadoran national who was convicted for homicide in El Salvador.
According to the release, the man admitted to spending one year in prison for the crime committed.
Within the same group of 10, records check revealed another Salvadoran national to be a member of the 18th Street gang.
On Wednesday, agents apprehended another group of six individuals near Hidalgo and discovered another Salvadoran national to be a member of the Mara-Salvatrucha gang from a records check.
He was previously convicted of being an accessory to murder after the fact, sentenced 10 years incarceration in Maryland and was subsequently removed from the U.S., the release said.
All subjects were processed accordingly.
