PRESIDIO, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol Agents arrested 12 people early Sunday afternoon near Presidio, including a citizen of Guatemala who was previously convicted of rape in Indiana.
According to CBP, the group illegally entered the United States Saturday, near the Rio Grande River and continued north.
The following afternoon, around 1:45 p.m., Presidio Agents, with air support from CBP, found the 12 individuals hiding in caves.
Authorities said they were dressed in camouflage and had carpet on the soles of their shoes, a common technique to hide footprints while traveling through the desert.
Agents determined the individuals were citizens and nationals of Guatemala and Mexico illegally present in the United States.
They were processed according to the applicable immigration laws.
During processing, records checks revealed Jose Jose Baltazar was arrested in 2015 by the Seymour Police Department in Indiana.
Baltazar was convicted of rape, a class three felony, in Jackson County Indiana and he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
He was then removed on January 23, 2019, to Guatemala.
Baltazar’s previous Order of Removal will be reinstated and removed to Guatemala at the conclusion of his immigration court hearing and sentencing.
Matthew Hudak, Big Bend sector chief patrol agent, said arrests in the desert of West Texas have a direct impact on the safety of communities across the Nation.
“This individual previously pleaded guilty to rape and he will not be going back to that community,” said Hudak
